Tom`s travels: Colmar, Eguisheim, Riquewihr, Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg (17/04/2017)

Again with my relatives, this time with the addition of Ania, we decided to explore a bit of the villages of Alsace. Having the car I decided to visit those which were further away from Strasbourg. Our first stop was Colmar, as I had to show it to my family being it so nice and famous. After finding a parking spot, we headed into town immediately as we had left quite late because the others had a problem with timing their showering turns. We visited the main areas, passing by the Petite Venise, with the beautiful timber-framed houses along the Lauch canal, then walking along the Grand Rue past the Ancienne Douanne and eventually reaching the Cathedral. Walking around town we decided to head back to the car and drive to our next destination. We reached the town of Eguisheim, located just a few kilometres south of Colmar, and parked our car right out of the old town. The town is part of the club the Most Beautiful Villages of France and rightly so. We headed into the small circular town on foot and admired its beautiful alleyways all full of splendid timber-framed houses. At the center of the town stands a small castle rebuilt in the neo-gothic style, a baroque fountain and a church. As it was time for lunch we decided to eat at a small place called Creperie La Galinette, which as the name suggests, made some really good salty and sweet crepes filled with various ingredients. After lunch we strolled around town once more as the rain which had followed us since Colmar, had given us a short respite and some rays of sun had decided to show between the clouds. After that we headed for the car, while my dad decided to buy a few bottles of wine from Wolfberger to take back home to Italy. Driving a few kilometers north we reached our third stop Riquewihr. Also part of the club the Most Beautiful Villages of France, it holds a perfectly maintained old medieval center which was spared during both the world wars. Unfortunately as we got out the car it started pouring so we had to explore the streets under umbrellas and a bit of fog. However the town was beautiful nonetheless with the typical timber-framed houses, surrounded by medieval walls and guarded by a tower gate. Driving further north we reached out fourth and final stop; the Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg. Unfortunately it was already six in the afternoon and so we had arrived after closing time. However we managed to see the castle from the outside by touring the castle ramparts. The haze which had come up though gave the castle an even more interesting look. Originally built probably during the 12th century the castle managed to survive until the Thirty Years War when the Swedish forces beseiged and destroyed it. It was left in ruins for a few centuries until, under the rule of Emperor Wilhelm II, which took control of it after the Franco Prussian War, it was reconstructed in a medieval style from 1900 to 1908. After the visit to the castle we decided to head back to Strasbourg where we had dinner at a resaturant and then went to sleep as my family would leave early the next morning.