I got off work Friday at 3pm, headed home, got the dogs, and drove out to Esslingen where Shanna was enjoying a Christmas party with her coworkers. I took the dogs in the restaurant and we had dinner, then we hit the road. It was raining a bit, but the wind was ridiculous. More then once I felt like the car was getting blown into the next lane. We eventually made it, though, around 9pm that night. We were both exhausted, but we hadn't had dinner yet, so we ate at the hotel restaurant. We brought the dogs down with us, and when the waitress saw them, she petted them and put her hand out to Milo and said "Bonjour'...and Milo shook her hand! I couldn't stop laughing. She put her hand out, so that's what Milo recognized, but seeing her say "Bonjour" and seeing Milo shake her hand cracked us up.
Saturday morning when we took the dogs out to do their morning usual, I noticed a plaque on a rock in front of a tree. It was a Sequoia tree from California that was dedicated from the US to the people of France in recognition of 200 years of friendship. After that we ate breakfast at the hotel, and they had the most amazing spread of cheeses out. My favorite was this goat cheese that I couldn't get enough of.
After breakfast we put the coats on the dogs and hit the town. Colmar had five separate Christmas Markets, but they were all connected, so you could easily walk from market to market. The first one we came to was the kids Christmas Market. They had vendors with kids toys and a few rides. One that stood out was the mechanical horse rides. Kids would sit on the horse, and it'd ride along a track in a circle. For those that have heard the story of the debacle of when I attempted horse riding, this would be the closest I'll ever come to riding a horse again.
From that market we walked along one of the many canals that run through Colmar and noticed a sign that said at 5pm that day there would be kids singing Christmas Carols in boats in the canal. We made a note to come back later that evening. Next up was an indoor market with all kinds of fresh food being sold. Cheese, bread, seafood, you name it, they had it fresh.
We walked around the various markets until it was obvious the dogs were starting to get worn out. On the way back to the hotel we came across an old Carousel that had been converted into a cafe! It was closed, but we took a few pictures. The owner (we assume) was cleaning up inside and his dog was in there...it looked like a Jack Russel, just like Murphy. As we walked around the Carousel looking in, the dog was running along with us, inside, growling at Milo & Murphy.
We headed back to the hotel from there and laid down for a bit. Once Milo & Murphy were settled down we left some toys out for them in the room and left them there. They've gotten to be great hotel dogs...even though Milo whined a bit, he quickly quieted down and they were quiet the rest of the night until we got back.
From the hotel we walked back into town and headed to some of the places we couldn't go earlier because we had the dogs. First up was St. Martin's church. It was built in 1375, and has survived ever since. Inside there was a plaque thanking the Virgin Mary for protecting the city during WWII and liberating it from the Nazi's on Feb. 2nd, 1945. There was also a plaque dedicated to those killed in WWI.
The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering through the beautiful old town area. It looked perfectly preserved, exactly like it might have 500 years ago. Shortly before 5pm we headed back to the bridge over the canal. We got there early, but there was already a crowd. Luckily a spot opened up and we were able to get a good spot overlooking the canal. Shortly after 5pm, when it was dark, the first boat pulled up to the bridge. 5 more pulled up and lined up side by side across the canal. Then a boat pulled up behind them with Santa inside and a ton of presents. The kids then began to sing various carols, some we recognized, but most we didn't. It was strange hearing "Oh Christmas Tree" and "Jingle Bells" in French. The Jingle Bells song was neat because they sang it in French and English.
Once they were done we took a walk, looking for dinner. There was a place we thought looked good, but the lady said they didn't open until 6:30, and it was only 5:30. Place after place we went to were all closed until 6:30 or 7pm. So we got some Gluehwein (or Vin Cauld as it was called in French) and sat on benches along the canal for a bit. We also headed to a Belgian Bar we'd seen earlier in the day. Eventually it was 6:30, but when we went back, the same lady said they were booked for the night. Why she didn't tell us that an hour ago was beyond us. We tried a few more places, and they all said the same thing...they were booked solid with reservations all night long. Who would have thought we'd need reservations?? We eventually found a place that wasn't too expensive, and what a find. The food was AMAZING. The waitress didn't speak much English, and the menu was entirely in French. Here's an example of what the menu looked like:
So we decided to be adventuresome and randomly picked two things off the menu. I got a DELICIOUS chicken cooked in a Riesling sauce (although it was brown, which I thought was strange), potatoes and mushrooms. I demolished the entire thing, even the mushrooms. It was one of the best meals we've had while living here in Europe. Shanna got Salmon on top of buttery garlic mashed potatoes and capers.
For dessert we decided to roll the dice again, and again came up with a winner. It was a plate with a shot of cappuccino, a brownie, ice cream, and a glass with some sort of strawberry sauce and whipped cream flavored jello. I wasn't a fan of the coffee since I don't like coffee, but the rest of it was fantastic. All & all it was an amazing meal, and I'm so glad we ran into problems with other places which forced us to try this place. Had we gone somewhere else, the menu would have been in English and we wouldn't have tried something new.
After dinner we were full, and worn out from walking around all day. We went back to the hotel & called it a night.
Sunday morning we woke up to snow coming down outside. I was less then thrilled since we had 2 1/2 hours to drive home, and the last thing I wanted to do was drive home in snow. But we got lucky. It only lasted for 15 minutes, didn't stick, and the sun came out after. After breakfast & checkout, we loaded the car up and headed to Freiburg, Germany. It was close to Colmar, and on the way back home, so it was easy to get there. Freiburg was pretty neat...it was no Colmar, but few markets are. We walked around the old town area, and saw something interesting. Apparently, Freiburg is a sister city with Madison, Wisconsin! Who knew?
Shanna found a wood molding of a boy & a snowman that she can use to make Christmas cookies, as well as some special paper so that she can use that same molding to make Christmas Cards. It's too late to do it this year, but maybe next year. We wandered around the market, and once done, headed back home.
This past weekend was a LOT of fun, and Colmar is by far our favorite Christmas Market. The food, drinks, and ambiance of the town was amazing, and we highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in Southern Germany or Eastern France.
Over the next few months we have trips to Hamburg and Ireland planned, so check back soon!
To see the pictures, click here or any picture above.
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