A return to Switzerland – land of mountains, museums and moos! COMPLETED 12/4 - Page 14 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Old 09-14-2013, 02:28 AM   #196
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Saturday 31 August – part five: I didn’t expect to see this in France…

Soon we were out of Nancy and back on the motorway again, heading for our next destination.



Of course, we found some cows on the way.



The next part of our journey was very contradictory. You started to see the mountains, all enveloped in mist, which was a very cool sight to see.



However, for a lot of the journey, we were in a valley. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a shot of this, but trust me, there were vineyards alongside the road and up the hills. There was also masses of sweetcorn. France is not somewhere I associate with sweetcorn, but I guess it can be like the Swiss with their wine, in that it’s not exported.



It was also fascinating to see the architecture of the buildings here. You could tell we were nearing the Swiss border, as suddenly the houses were more like alpine chalets.



On the way to Colmar, we had a choice of going over the mountains or through the tunnel. Well, the GPS made the decision for us, and we went through the tunnel. Honestly, I don’t think either of us have ever been through such a straight tunnel in our lives. The only bend was literally right at the end just as we were coming out of it.


A bit blurred, but you get the idea…


Soon we were getting near to Colmar, and I was fascinated to see place names that sounded very German. Again, I guess it’s another sign that it’s near to the Swiss border, but given how proud the French are of their language, it surprised me.



We found our way into Colmar, which my guidebook told me was the best preserved city in Alsace. In its heyday in the 16th century, wine merchants shipped their wine along the waterways running through the town’s canal quarter, which is known as Little Venice.



As we approached Colmar, we found this 12-meter high replica of the Statue of Liberty. It was created to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of the sculptor Auguste Batholdi, who created the statue originally, and was born in Colmar.



… and found our way to the RAPP parking, which was marked on my map, so I figured from there I could find my way around the town. This car park was quite something. It’s underground, but my goodness, it’s very well done, and they’ve spent some serious money on it.



When we came out, we saw somewhere else that they’re about to spend serious money on. Work has only just got underway on it, as you can see.



We headed towards the town, and immediately we found some beautiful buildings. Little did we know…



Mark found me a patisserie that specialised in macaroons. Hmm… guess where I’ll be coming back to on the way back to the car park?

We carried on walking, finding first one stunning little square….



Next: wow, this place is beautiful!
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Old 09-14-2013, 05:32 AM   #197
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Can't wait to see more of the town, I can already tell it's going to be one of my favorites. It's so interesting to see the architecture change as you go along.
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Old 09-14-2013, 06:26 AM   #198
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Can't wait to see more of the town, I can already tell it's going to be one of my favorites.
I'm sure it will be. It was absolutely beautiful.
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Old 09-14-2013, 06:46 AM   #199
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As always, I am enjoying your photos from your lovely trip. Late to the party, but getting a chance to catch up is a great way to enjoy morning coffee!
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Old 09-14-2013, 06:59 AM   #200
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Its such a beautiful town, another place to add to my travel list.
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Old 09-14-2013, 07:26 AM   #201
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As always, I am enjoying your photos from your lovely trip. Late to the party, but getting a chance to catch up is a great way to enjoy morning coffee!
Sounds good to me!
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Old 09-14-2013, 07:29 AM   #202
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Its such a beautiful town, another place to add to my travel list.
If it's anything like mine, it constantly gets longer every time I read a trip report on here. So many places, so little time and money.
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Old 09-14-2013, 09:28 AM   #203
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This is really a quaint looking town. I love the Swiss architecture. The Statue by Auguste Batholdi is remarkable. I can almost smell the chocolate!!!
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Old 09-14-2013, 09:39 AM   #204
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OK, now I'm totally envisioning Fantasyland in WDW!! What a surprising Germ -- oh wait, you're still in France, right?! Stunning buildings. Just gorgeous!!
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Old 09-14-2013, 10:56 AM   #205
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What a charming town.
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Old 09-14-2013, 11:56 AM   #206
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OK, now I'm totally envisioning Fantasyland in WDW!! What a surprising Germ -- oh wait, you're still in France, right?! Stunning buildings. Just gorgeous!!
still in France... but we will be in Switzerland later in the day, just to confuse you.
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Old 09-14-2013, 01:19 PM   #207
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I think the confusion is fair enough since the Alsace was German between the two world wars.

Ok correcting myself the Alsace was German from 1871 up until 1918.
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Old 09-14-2013, 01:37 PM   #208
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I think the confusion is fair enough since the Alsace was German between the two world wars.

Ok correcting myself the Alsace was German from 1871 up until 1918.
Well, that does explain it then.
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Old 09-14-2013, 03:42 PM   #209
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This is a beautiful town! I love the architecture here, it looks so charming.
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Old 09-14-2013, 04:05 PM   #210
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What a quaint place! Funny to see the mini Statue of Liberty, though!
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