Colmar, France – 25 November 2019
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| St. Stephen Cathedral |
We left Basel at 6 AM on Monday, 25 November, and sailed to Breisach, Germany where we docked about noon. Breisach, known as the “Gateway to the Black Forest,” is known for St. Stephen Cathedral, which sits on top of a hill, overlooking the city and the Rhine River. It is the first thing you see as you near the dock. The city also has a lot of swans that live around this area and many came out to greet our boat. Unfortunately, Breisach had no Christmas Market, so it was only a place for the ship to dock, not a city to be toured.
After lunch on board, we started our Christmas Market tour with a visit to Colmar, France – a beautiful medieval city located in the Alsace region of France. We were supposed to visit Kaysersberg and Riquewihr, also both in the Alsace, but most of their shops were closed on Monday and they did not have a Christmas Market, so our team of Program Directors made the decision to visit Colmar instead –we all agreed it was a great decision!
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| St. Martin's Church |
Colmar is said to be the most Alsatian city in the Alsace. Nestled in the middle of the Alsace wine region, it is a blend of both German and French architecture and famous for its half-timbered homes. It considers itself the capital of Alsatian. Many of the homes were built during the 1500's. There was an earlier town here with homes built in the 1300's. But many of these homes were destroyed by a fire, and those that were not destroyed were demolished to make way for the “new” city built in the 16th century. There are several beautiful churches, including the Church of St. Martin, once the largest church in this region, but now second to the Cathedral of Strasbourg. Although many refer to it as a cathedral, it is not, as it is a protestant church. The other church building was once a convent but has now been turned into a museum. The roofs of these buildings, plus the custom house roof, are remnants of the Hapsburg Empire. They all have green tiles in the design of a diamond that symbolized the Hapsburg rulers.
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| Half-timbered Homes and Shops |
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| Custom House |
Like most towns in this region, it has see-sawed back and forth between France and Germany. It was first mentioned by Charlemagne in his diary about the Saxon Wars. In 1226 it was granted status as a “free imperial city” by Emperor Frederick II. During the Thirty Years’ War (circa 1632-1679) it was captured by the Swedish army but finally conquered by King Louis XIV of France in 1673. In 1679, it was officially ceded to France by the Treaties of Nijmegen. However, in 1871, the newly formed German Empire annexed Colmar and the rest of Alsace as a result of the Franco-Prussian War. Following WWI, the Treaty of Versailles gave the region back to France, but it was annexed again by Nazi Germany in 1940. After the battle of the Colmar Pocket in 1945, it returned again to French control.
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| House of Faces |
As we left our buses and walked toward the center of the town, the walkway was decorated with trees that had been sprayed white and decorated with red balls. What a way to get you in the spirit of Christmas! Once inside the town we had a guided walking tour of city’s old town. The square where we met our guide is dominated by the 11th century Dominican Church, now converted into a museum. As we walked through the streets in the pedestrian zone of the Old Town our guide pointed out the beautiful buildings built in the German architecture and the half-timbered houses. One that was particularly striking was the Maison des Tetes (House of Faces), named for the many masks and grimacing faces that adorn its façade.
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| Many Faces on the House |
Dominating one of the old town squares is St. Martin’s Church, built in the Gothic architecture between 1235 and 1365. It is the main church of Colmar. Not far from the church was the home of Frederic Bartholdi who was born in Colmar in 1834. Bartholdi was the sculptor who designed our Statue of Liberty. Throughout the town and in the courtyard of his home are other sculptures done by him.
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| Bartholdi's Statue and House |
One of the most famous homes in Colmar is the Fister House which dates to the 16th century. It has an ornate oriel (a large bay window that runs the entire height of the house), beautifully painted murals on the outside walls, and a long wooden galley. We also walked by the Old Custom House with its roof made from green tiles in a diamond motif, a remnant of the Hapsburg Empire. One of the most picturesque parts of the town was Little Venice, so named for the canals that run through this area. Once the tour was over, we were free to wander through the Christmas Markets.
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Fister House
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| Little Venice |
The town was all decked out for Christmas with many merchants trying to outdo their competitors with their decorations. All throughout the town, and especially in the square surrounding the Church of Martin Luther, are the many little buildings that make up the Christmas Markets (there are six markets throughout the town). You can find all things Christmas, to include outerwear, hats and gloves, ornaments, gingerbread, chocolate and other candies, and of course Glühwein, a spiced wine drink of either red or white wine that is served in unique plastic or ceramic mugs that are designed by each town. It was a wonderful start to our Christmas market cruise and it really put us all in the spirit of Christmas.
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| Colmar Christmas Market |
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| Welcome to Colmar |
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| Store's Christmas Decorations |
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| Ready for Christmas |
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| All Decked Out for Christmas |
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| Another Gaily Decorated Store |
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| Beautiful Half-timbered Homes |
Back on the ship we had the Captain’s Welcome briefing and champagne, followed by a delicious 7-course dinner highlighted by roast veal and crème brulee.
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