September 17, 2012:
This trip to France in 2012 was part of a much longer trip to several other European countries – we only visited a few French towns in the Alsace region and also Reims, France.
Colmar, one of the prettiest towns in France’s Grand Est region, is near the border with Germany. Its old town has cobblestone streets lined with half-timbered medieval and early Renaissance buildings. The Gothic 13th-century, Église Saint-Martin stands on central Place de la Cathédrale. The city is on the Alsace Wine Route, and local vineyards specialize in Riesling and Gewürztraminer wines.
Little Venice – Colmar
Maison des Tetes (House of Heads)
Butcher Shop, Custom’s House, Swan Sign
Cloister – Uterlinden Museum & Dominican Church
Isenheim Altarpiece
Virgin in the Rosebud – Dominican Church
Wood Carving – Uterlinden Museum
Uterlinden Museum
Cathedrale St. Martin
Eguisheim is a medieval village in France’s Alsace wine region. The narrow, concentric streets of its old town are lined with many preserved half-timbered houses. The central Château Saint-Léon is a centuries-old castle. Southwest at Husseren-les-Châteaux are the ruins of the Three Castles of Eguisheim, which date from the Middle Ages. Northwest is Hohlandsbourg Castle, with formidable ramparts.
Eguisheim
Château Saint-Léon
Pope Leon IX
Kaysersberg is a historical town and former commune in Alsace in northeastern France. The name is German for Emperor’s Mountain. The high fortress that dominates the town serves as a reminder of both its strategic importance and its warlike past.
HIgh Fortress that dominates the town
Kaysersberg
Riquewihr is a town on the Alsace Wine Route in eastern France. Its cobbled streets are dotted with half-timbered winemakers’ shops and tasting rooms. Winemaking tools and a restored kitchen are on display in the 16th-century Maison de Vigneron. The 1291 Dolder Tower houses the Musée du Dolder, featuring centuries-old weapons. The 14th-century Tour des Voleurs, a former prison, has torture instruments.
Riquewihr
Reims is a city in northeastern France’s Grand Est region. It’s the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, and many of the champagne houses headquartered there offer tastings and cellar tours. For more than 1,000 years, French kings were crowned at its Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims. This grand cathedral is known for its stained-glass windows and Gothic carved portals, including the Smiling Angel.
Reims Cathedral