Even the Gutters are Charming

We have had a GREAT day! We were a little wary of what we were getting ourselves into in coming to Colmar, but after settling in to Eguisheim and our new little home in the vineyard we new everything would be just fine. We woke up and sat around lazily for a while...something different for us! Ha ha!

Then we rented bikes from the campground to use in the area for the day. This proved to be both a blessing and a curse (since Laura has put the chain on her bike 5 times). After getting into the center of Eguisheim, our little village home, we found we could explore on foot. We walked narrow streets of brightly colored, half-timbered houses. Since this is on the border of France and Germany, a lot of the Germanic styles and flavors have infused the area. We found ourselves passing boulangerie (French bakeries) and sausage stands. The best part of the village is the atmosphere it has. There is a feeling of contentment in the air and a slower pace to life-just what we needed. We found ourselves saying over and over, "This is just like Disneyworld, only real!" It was really right out of the villages of Snow White and Belle. Eguisheim was recently honored as the Floral Village of Europe, providing lots of color and TONS of opportunities for pictures. This place is overflowing with character. Wandering streets got us antsy so we hopped on our bikes for a 7 km (almost 5 mile) bike ride through vineyards and past other villages to the town of Colmar.

We parked our bikes again and explored another unique place on foot. This town carried over the style of Eguisheim, but has more tourist areas and ammenities. From little boutiques to town squares with fountains, Colmar treated us well. One cool part about the town is an area knoan as "Little Venice." It is a series of a few canals going through the town overflowing with flowers and lined by houses and restaurants. We finished the day with a relaxing dinner outside of a German restaurant that was AMAZING!!! Who knows what we ate, but we loved it. We are getting better and better at ordering in French. It was the best meal we have had the entire trip.

France gave us a rough start, but as the days went on we got to see the heart of these reserved, gentle people. We are finding ourselves sad to leave, but Switzerland is calling our name!

Sending love back home from one of our favorite spots yet,

Tripp and Laura

ps- "A Tribute to Monsiour Gary"

We just needed to mention someone who has given us many laughs along our journey. The second night in our hostel in Paris we started doing laundry when an older (60s) man walked in and announced he was our roommate. Seeing this guy in a hostel filled with coeds on summer vacation was quite a sight. He was so excited to talk to us, though.

(in thick Georgia dialect)
"Well goodness gracious! Where are ya'll from... I'm from Brunswick, Georgia. I speak French. I love speaking French. I've been walking around the streets just speaking French to everybody. People ask for directions, I tell 'em in French. I don't know what I'm saying, but they all say, 'Oui, oui, monsiour,' so I know I'm doing something right. I plan on staying up all night wandering the streets to talk more French. See, I'm trying to sell 1200 acres of land. I couldn't sell it in Georgia, so I came to try my way in selling it to the English and French..."

A few other fond memories:
* Bulging eyes watching our every move as we did our laundry in the sink and hung it to dry
* Coming in to find our window open, we tried to close it in the dark. It was broken, so we struggled a few minutes, but all the while, Gary kept opening and closing his bed's privacy curtain to watch the action. He didn't say a word, but boy, did he find it fascinating.
* A free place to stay on our next trip to Brunswick.

We love Monsiour Gary.