April 23, 2026 Colmar in Alsace France

 

We need food! ….Starting with breakfast.

Dale and Dave walked to our local épicerie (there’s no boulangerie in our small town) but found it closed until next week for vacation. They then drove 2 miles to the next town to find us breakfast croissants at the Sainte Croix-en-Plaine Boulangerie.

Dale also found a caramel éclair which he shared with us as well. That happens when your boulangère is also a patisserie (think pastry) Croissants and coffee and we're ready to head out.

The plan for the day is to drive to Colmar, a large town just 10 minutes from here, visit the old city center and then head to one of its large grocery stores (LeClerc, SuperU, or HyperU) to stock up on groceries.

Colmar “fête le printemps” (celebrates spring) with an Easter market that goes from Easter till the end of April. We’re hoping to join in on this last week of the fest. Houses are decorated in bunnies, Easter eggs, chickens and more. Besides the wooden stalls of the dealers, highly decorated in eggs, bunnies, and other Easter symbols, there are activities at the museums, music concerts almost daily, and other entertainments – including some wine-tasting.

Figure 1 Easter Market

We found street parking (handicapped) just outside the city-center and made our way to the first stop: the Office de Tourisme.

Figure 2 Leaving the Tourist Office

Map in hand, we set out on the self-guided tour of the old city center before strolling the Easter Market.  

 “La Maison des Têtes” (The House of Heads) is quite an amazing house as you can see with 105 carved heads covering the outside.

       

Built in 1609 as a private house, it is best known for being the seat of the wine growers of Alsace. The sculpture of an Alsatian cooper on the very top (added in 1902 by Bartholdi) is a reminder of this house’s former wine connections.

        

Figure 3 Sign commemorating the wine exchange & Statue of the cooper (barrel maker)

Very noticeable at this time of the year are the pollarded trees. This style of pruning keeps trees a more manageable size and helps create a larger shaded canopy. But they sure look dead in spring.

Small plaques embedded in the sidewalks act as guides to the “centre ville” walking tour. Notice the Statue of Liberty design.

Frédéric Bartholdi, the designer of our most famous statue, is possibly the most well-known Colmar native. His home is now a museum dedicated to displaying his work as well as family furnishings.

.          

Figure 4 Courtyard of the Bartholdi Museum

The Collegiale of St Martin is the second largest gothic church in this part of France after the Strasbourg Cathedral. It sits impressively smack dab in the center of the old city. It is the third church constructed on this site and took more than 130 years to build. Completed around 1365, as can be expected, this church experienced fire and the ravages of the French Revolution. The colors in the roofing tiles remind me of buildings in Burgundy. As with many Gothic cathedrals, the inside is quite dark with some treasured religious art works proudly displayed.

Figure 5 Notice the colored tiles on the roof of the Collegiale

All around the collegiale an Easter market has been set up. Small wooden shacks presented their wares of locally made foods, wines, snacks, candy, toys…you name it. What made this market so special were the Easter eggs, bunnies, chickens and floral decorations that covered these wagons. In fact, all of the old city center was decked out in Easter décor that just made you smile and think “Happy Spring”.

Rides for the kids

One of the market stalls decorated for Easter

Easter market stalls

Behind the bunny are live chickens called "poulets de soie" - silk chickens

But we couldn’t linger – we still had major grocery shopping to do. We chose LeClerc, reminiscent of a Costco or Walmart superstore, but with an organization we didn’t know. We wandered separately and together scouring the store for items on our grocery list.

 Strawberries are in season and delicious. Some items we never found and had to give up. Of course, the boys had to visit the wine aisles and stock up a bit. Wine seems to evaporate around here. And, of course, we forgot to bring our French shopping bags (heavy duty and plasticized) because they were in the trunk of our car at home. (We use them for everything!) So we had to buy new ones. With my scooter in the back and 5 large grocery bags, the only way to get the last bag in was to put it between Kim and I in the back seat.

                       

Figure 6 Lynn crowded in the back seat of our car & Dale chauffeuring us all back home

                       

Back home, groceries put away, it was time for aperos. The first of many to come in Alsace. Cheers!

Figure 7 Our patio in Logelheim

April 22, 2026 Paris to Alsace

 

To Alsace!

Except for some delays, our flights were uneventful. We had a long layover in Detroit, made bearable by meeting up with brother, Dale, and sister-in-law, Kim – our first Alsace guests. Air France departure was delayed by an hour, but once in the air things went smoothly. Of course, our seats were cramped making it hard to sleep, nevertheless we were tired enough to get a solid 4 hours sleep. Traveling with the mobility scooter is a bit complicated, but one perk was that a wheelchair met us planeside at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and we skipped all the lines for passport control and customs, going through a special handicapped passport window and walking right through customs. Our wheelchair assistant took us to pick up our luggage, after which we went to a special baggage area to claim the scooter. We didn’t have to search for any of these areas thanks to our basketball playing, Bucks enthusiast, follower of Giannis Antetokounmpo who knew where Milwaukee was.

Figure 1 Moving sidewalk at CDG airport

Charles de Gaulle airport has always been difficult to navigate and to complicate matters, it has been undergoing a major refurbishing since Covid with lots of elegant waiting areas, stainless steel and wooden slats decorating walls and ceilings. 

Figure 2 Renovated waiting area at CDG airport

Theoretically, the re-design also improved passenger flow, but we were overwhelmed by the size and complexity of the Arrivals terminal.

Once we picked up the scooter, our friendly handicapped assistant headed off. Left on our own, the next step was difficult. We had to find the free tram that circles the airport to take us to the Ibis hotel at the airport to pick up the car. Signage was non-existent for CDG-Val (Charles de Gaulle Valet tram). After wandering in the right general direction and following some incorrect signage, we finally ended up at the tram which provided a quick trip to the hotel.

 

  The tram arrives at one of the terminals.

Dave and Dale went to get the rental car, leaving Kim and I to wait in the hotel lounge with piles of luggage. The packed car was full to capacity with our luggage, the scooter, and 4 people. 

We headed East toward Alsace, driving through several small and charming looking towns before joining the A4 (France’s version of Interstate toll roads). The road passed by large fields alternating the brilliant yellow of Colza (used to make Canola oil) and some green grassy crops that we could not identify. We really should have taken a photo. These photos from others may help give a picture of the landscape.

[This photo is one of Pierre Guernier’s photos from his French Moments blog. (Well worth your time to check out his wonderful guides – with lots of photos – of France’s wonderful scenery, history, and food.)  https://frenchmoments.eu/photos-of-rural-france/  ]

Field of Colza

Villages became more and more Germanic looking – old timber framed houses with uneven stuccos but frequently painted in colors you would see in France – blues, violets, yellows, ochres, greens. Luckily the landscape was calming because inside the car was a bit uncomfortable – in part from wearing the same clothes and shoes for more than 24 hours straight. Oh, and not being very resilient travelers after 24 hours!

We were headed for 20 Rue d’Appenwihr in Logelheim, just south of Colmar.

Figure 3 Our driveway is at the end of town with countryside and mountain views out every window

Do you notice how towns and streets sound very German? This area was first settled by the Alamani, a Germanic people who weren’t afraid to take on the Roman Empire, eventually driving out the Romans from the area. Next came the Frankish king Clovis who defeated the Alamani. And ever since then, Alsace has been a football tossed between French then Germanic kingdoms multiple times for hundreds of years. Since the end of WWII, Alsace has been part of France. The local patois, Alsatian, is more related to Swiss German and Swabish German than to French.

We arrived, exhausted, at almost 8 PM. 

Our hosts, Dominique and her husband, René, were waiting for us, welcoming us enthusiastically. Buoyed by their enthusiasm and thoughtfulness, we got our second wind. Our house is amazing. We toured spacious rooms, beautifully decorated and quite fancy.  A very modern, fully equipped kitchen had all the appliances necessary (including two coffee machines). Two bathrooms, washer, dryer, really all the conveniences of home, including a garage should we want to use it. Not only was the house well-equipped, it was stocked with paper goods, fresh bread, and a refrigerator stocked with OJ, milk, butter, and, to our delight 2 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of beer. Dale took photos of the outside of our new digs.

Figure 4 Our chariot - brand new Peugeot 5008

Figure 5 Two tired but happy campers - Dale & Dave

Figure 6 Kitchen entrance, covered patio, and barbecue grill

Once on our own, we unpacked the car and then sat down to our dinner – take-out from an épicerie (a grocery store, or in this case a deli) we found at one of the aires (rest stop) along the highway. We finished dinner at 10:00 and dragged ourselves to bed, exhausted.

Tomorrow Colmar and groceries.

France 2026 - Alsace

 

              April 16, 2026              La maison charmante near Colmar

France is calling us again. We don’t know how many more trips we will be able to make as old age is starting to set in – especially for Lynn. More on that in a later post. We’ve rented a house which books itself as a “charming house near Colmar” in Alsace, France. That will be our home from April 22-June 26.

Alsace is the eastern-most province of France. It is a mix of French and Germanic names, buildings, and customs, reflecting it’s history of passing from France to Germany and back again a number of times depending on the power and reach of their respective governments. Dave and I have visited this area before - a really long time ago when we lived near Stuttgart Germany. Alsace borders the Rhine River on the east and once crossed, one is in the Black Forest of Germany. To the southeast is Basel Switzerland.

Alsace is shaped by its geography – long and narrow - due to the Vosges mountains to the west, the Rhine River (now the border between Germany and France) to the east with a relatively flat plain between the two.

Of course, it’s a wine growing region specializing in white wines. Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris & Muscat are most frequently grown. Wine from Alsace used to be sweet, like its German counterpart. But today, Alsatian wines are dry and minerally. Check out this overview of the wines of Alsace: https://www.grapecollective.com/alsace-where-french-and-german-cultures-converge/

 Our guestbook is quite full to our happy delight. My brother Dale and wife Kim will travel with us from Detroit to Paris where we will pick up our leased car, then drive the 160 miles to our house. Dave is reading travel guides, and I’ve researched the most important thing - where to buy groceries on Thursday morning. 

We’re hoping France will let us in and we know it will be wonderful to be (mostly) unplugged. Of course, we’ll have  to see what airports are like and whether new fees will arise due to the oil crisis. We'll keep you posted.

We hope you will come along with us as we discover Alsace. Breakfast croissants, here we come!

France doesn't want us to leave - June 27, 2024

 I still have 2 days of our French travels left to report on, but right now my computer is in the hotel checked baggage. So, this will have to be finished when we get home. Which will not be today as scheduled. Have you got a hint that all has not gone well? 

It's now 12:30 French time and Dave and I are sitting in the lobby of the NH  hotel at the Toulouse airport. You might be wondering how this can be since we should be in Amsterdam by now. 

All started well yesterday, sad goodbyes to Lorna, David and our house of 2 months, followed by a bit of a walking tour in downtown Toulouse and lunch in a park next to the Garonne River. The troubles only started when we tried to leave France,

We left Toulouse center about 2 headed to our hotel, Odalys City, near the airport. Strangely, the driveway in front of the hotel was blocked by barrier cones, actually by a large white van that was stopped at the cones, unloading luggage. She explained that the hotel couldn't or wouldn't put down the cones. A bit disconcerting since, besides the scooter, we have 2 large suitcases and 4 carry-on items. While I checked in, Dave dragged 2 loads of suitcases down to the front desk, then up to our room (after paying 7 Euros 50 for room tax). Once I was in the hotel room, Dave took the leased car back to the airport. We had our last (we thought) aperos with our last bottle of wine, Dave checked us in for our flight, and we turned in early. 

Oh I forgot. Second hint of problems:  While Dave returned the car, I requested shuttle service to the airport. This involved a long conversation with the shuttle service punctuated by interruptions from another client at the desk who apparently had 100 questions that her clerk couldn't answer. The  short answer was that the shuttle company couldn't take us because of the " chaise roulant" (my scooter). They didn't think they had the right certificates or something. So we needed  to book a taxi, which I did reluctantly - shuttle = free; taxi = pay. After more waiting while the clerk spoke with the taxi company, and more interruptions from the other client, I said I'd check in later and went back to my room. 

Next time downstairs, the clerk confirmed a cab would pick us up from the lobby at 8:30 in the morning. That was hard!

Early to bed and up early to get to the airport. Downstairs a few minutes early, I checked with the desk to confirm our taxi. A man next to me started to say something about the taxi being canceled and we'd have to take the shuttle. I began to protest and it became clear that this man was the one on the other end of the conversation yesterday - owner, manager, whatever, of the shuttle service. He had reconsidered and wanted to be sure we didn't have to pay for getting to the airport.  I wonder when they were going to tell us of the change in plans?

He directed us to the end of the drive where we had unloaded yesterday and Dave again made two trips to get the bags in position. A black SUV backed down the driveway, Dave helped load the luggage and we were soon after deposited at the departures at the airport.

Even though our flight said it was open, the Air France employee told us to come back at 9:45. Of course, when we returned,  there was a long line and a half hour wait to check in. From there things went downhill fast. For some reason, it took forever to process our boarding passes, requiring multiple trips to a supervisor. Finally given our boarding passes, they had our arrival at Charles de Gaulle in Paris. Dave questioned, another trip to the supervisor and  this time she came back to explain that our flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis had been canceled at 6 am this morning and we'd have to rebook and fly tomorrow. 

By now, I was totally deflated. Tired, no breakfast, aching, I was pretty crabby. It took another hour of waiting before the supervisor returned with boarding passes for tomorrow - flying at 6 am to Charles de Gaulle (which we were carefully avoiding because of the Olympics) and then to Atlanta (another hub we hate because things always go wrong there too). 

And just to complicate things, our checked luggage needed to be found and returned to us. The supervisor escorted Dave to arrivals and apologized for the isssues and lack of solution they could provide. (Of course, she was Air France and the issues were with KLM/Delta.) sheesh. 

And we had to find a hotel at our own expense. We could try to get a voucher from Delta for the cost, but Air France couldn't help. (and there's no Delta desk at this airport). Dave tried to use the app on his iPad, but the chat " person"  had his hands tied and couldn't help us. Of course the NH hotel that is in the airport didn't have any standard rooms available, so we had to get the 300 Euro room ($330). Oh, and it would be a couple hours before one was available.

We ate lunch at a deli in the airport, then went back to the lounge of the hotel to wait till a room was ready. Which is where we are now. Dave's still trying to talk to KLM and I'm writing a sad ending to an otherwise fantastic stay in France. 

Now I'm glad that I still have exploration blogs to post as it would be sad to end this trip (and its blog) on such a sour note.

June 25, 2024 - Winding down - Reflections on things I've seen

 After 2 months here in France, some themes have surfaced that have got me thinking. So this blog post is a place where I've captured a few of the themes I've witnessed. No photos (at least not yet) and no travelogue, so feel free to skip this rambling. I won't be offended. But I need to capture these thoughts for myself. Thanks for coming with us on this 2024 adventure. 

Reflections on living in France

Eating fresh and local is for everyone

One of my favorite activities is to shop at the open air markets for much of our food. Besides fruit and vegetables, we buy cheese, hard sausages, olives, and some shortcut meals like empanadas or paella. There is usually a butcher, a baker (but no candlestick maker), a “traiteur” – delicatessen stall - and often a fishmonger. These merchants are likely to be local. At the very least, they are regulars at the market. Customers form relationships with their chosen merchants over time.

Every town and city we visit has an open air market one or more mornings a week so that everyone has access to these products. (Many towns also have garden allotments for residents to grow their own fruits and vegetables.)  Shoppers typically walk to the market, carrying hand woven or wicker shopping baskets, or pulling shopping bags on carts. Prices (from my  point of view) are reasonable, even inexpensive. One thing we have learned is to look for the produce stands with the longest lines. They will have the best produce.

Eating “bio” – organic – is easy here, whether in the market or at the grocery store. Meat, vegetables, dairy labeled “bio” must not use chemicals, must respect animal well-being, must limit agri-inputs like fertilizers, animal feed, etc, and must be made in the European Union. Many of the market stalls sell organic foods, as you might expect, especially from small producers and farmers.

Markets are for more than buying produce

Weekly markets are a community event, crowded with families, neighbors, old and young. Sometimes it’s hard to move from one stall to another as a group of four or five women are greeting each other with “la bise” (an air kiss on both cheeks), or in the case of men, shaking hands all around or offering “la bise”. Smiling, laughing, catching up on the latest news and gossip means shopping is not a “zip-in and out” kind of affair. Even after making their purchases, groups meet at the local cafes for coffee (or something stronger) and more catching up. It is clear that for many this is part of the ritual of shopping at the market. It’s such a simple thing that glues the community together.

In France stores and offices are open, except when they’re not

Where do all these people come from who have time to do their marketing mid-morning? That is a puzzle, until you get used to a shop front door being locked with a sign saying “Back in an hour” or some such. Typically, stores (or tourist offices) are open from 10-12:30 and then closed for lunch, with afternoon hours typically 2 or 2:30-6:00. Except when they aren’t. It’s a holiday, or a saints’ day, or vacation, or not tourist season. All this may lead one to believe that the French are a bunch of slackers. However, that isn’t at all true. At work, especially in the service industry where we have the most interactions, the French are helpful, polite, and go out of their way to accommodate your needs. What is true is that the idea of quality of life is so ingrained into the French way of life, that for the locals, none of this is worth shaking your head over. Of course, they believe, everyone should have an uninterrupted time for the noon meal with the family, adequate vacation time, time to run errands, pick up kids from school, etc. It’s a lifestyle I could easily get used to.

 

Camping wherever

Here in the Pyrenees, there’s so much opportunity for outdoor activities. The rivers run fast out of the mountains, so canoeing and kayaking are popular. The number of men and women we’ve seen cycling up and down these mountains is staggering. We’ve seen far more cyclers in these mountains as are registered for the Tour de France! By far the most favored activity is hiking. The trails are endless, some local, some regional. Many are part of the GR (Grande Randonée) trails – long distance trails that are well sign-posted that travel over a variety of landscapes. With all this outdoor activity, not to mention tourism, we see many “caravans”. About half are small by our standards pull behind campers. The rest are camper vans – also small. When you consider that France drives small cars on roads we would not consider to be 2 lanes wide.

Interestingly, we’ve seen lots of places where campers park. There are campgrounds like in the US, and, in fact, many towns either have a municipal campground (with or without services) or a designated parking lot for campers. There seems to be a “laissez faire” attitude about where campers park. People are often camping the way we would do for a tailgating party. I’m not sure if this is an attitude in this area of low population and plenty of wilderness areas to explore in between the villages that dot the highways. Whatever, I find this attitude refreshing – and I don’t see mounds of garbage left behind and I’ve yet to hear loud music coming out of a camper. So perhaps it’s a trust on both sides that folks will use good camping manners.

Politics

We were here again for an election – this time for European Parliament seats of which France elects 81 members of the 720 member Parliament. These are the folks charged with rule-making amongst the EU countries. Not an easy job!

As we’ve seen before, there is only one spot in each village that posters (all the same size, btw) can be displayed. There are no billboards and it is rare to find a rogue poster on the side of a building or barn. There are no yard signs. Candidates campaign by having open meetings in town halls. (I have to admit, I don’t know what is allowed on TV as we do not do TV in France, but I’m guessing it is also subdued.) I haven’t been able to find information on campaign mail or Internet sites, but I’m guessing those are in play.

Even better, the entire campaign season lasts just a few weeks. In fact, as a result of the EU Parliament vote where the ultra-right gained significant seats over Macron’s centrist party, Macron dissolved France’s National Assembly just hours after the results came in on the EU Parliament vote. And new voting is within 20 days of the dissolution. Imagine how the country is scrambling to get this to happen!

So, France may have a less-in-your-face campaign season, but they still have plenty of drama in much the same way as we do.

Tarascon-sur-Ariège - June 22, 2024

 We've passed and passed through Tarascon-sur-Ariège several times, so today we'll explore this city whose clock tower can be seen from some of the highways we've traveled. 

Dave's plotted out our afternoon which starts with a picnic in the city park along the Ariège River. The weather is not cooperating.  It's cold (for me, but then I'm always cold. The actual temperature is probably the low 60s.) And it's threatening rain. 

In the old town with all my layers

We walked along the Ariège to the stone bridge and crossed over into the old town. 

As is true of most medieval villages, Tarascon was once walled with its houses huddled together along narrow lanes, opening on a central arcaded square where markets were and continue to be held.

ruins of town walls

It's best feature is its setting, nestled at the confluence of the Ariège and the Vicdessos Rivers which flow out of intersecting glacial valleys of  the same name. 

Outside the old city, this building on the right is the "club house" for several local organizations, including the "Committee of Festivals" Sign me up!

A clock tower, la Tour Castella, was added on the high point of the city in 1775. 

Dave recorded the views from this vantage point of Tarascon's breath-taking setting. 

Back in its central square, we checked out the bell tower, la Tour Michel, remains of a church of the same name from 1382 which disappeared mid-19th century. This tower would have been part of the city walls and used for defensive purposes as well.

Also on the square is a very plain church from the outside which is well-preserved inside. Notre Dame de la Daurade has been both Catholic and Protestant in its checkered history. The current building is 16th century, built over the 11th century church.

We walked back across the Ariège River to the "new" part of town. Some buildings attest to their modernity, 

but then there is another church, the Eglise St Quitterie. This building was finished in 1820 after the first 2 churches were destroyed by floods in 1622 and 1722 (hundred year floods, perhaps?) This church was built on higher ground. 

On the way home, we took a quick detour at Les Pujols, just a few miles from our house. I've been intrigued by the road sign pointing into the village "fortified church". Worth a quick visit. There's more to this village than we realized passing through it just about everywhere we go. Definitely fortified.