COLMAR: THAT PROVINCIAL TOWN
My first encounter with Colmar was 4 or 5 years ago, when I was browsing through Pinterest. I just started my travel journey then — I earned money and was able to spare some, and my parents allowed me to travel with friends. I started to make a list of wonderful places that I would love to go in the future.
“Most beautiful place from fairy tale that exists”, I vaguely remember the title of the Pin now. As the highest ranked place on that list, Colmar slipped into my brain as the place that I had to visit at least once in life. I am sold for anything fairy tale, you know
Fast forward to that day, when Dennis said he will have his theory pilot test at the city bordering Switzerland and Southern France, I straight went to DBahn website to check how much the train ticket to Colmar would be. I had 2 options to explore then, Basel — and Colmar. However, the train to Colmar — even though with similar trip time to Basel, was twice the price. With limited time (only 5 hours before I promised to meet Dennis again after his test) it seemed such a hassle to visit. Plus, it would not be fun if you don’t share a bucket list with someone right? So I put Colmar back to the back of my brain — saving it for later.
They said if you have a wish, you should share to the universe. In my case, I shared it with Dennis. To my surprise, after the pilot test — and thanks to European long daylight during summer time, he asked me, “Do you want to go to Colmar?” — my heart skipped a beat and without wasting any second, I answered “YES!”
Colmar’s Altstadt (Old Town), is a place that seems like it came from a storybook. Even though with touches of commercialism here and there, one can immerse in its magical vibe. My head continuously kept playing verses from Beauty and the Beast soundtrack:
“little town, is a quiet village, everyday like the one before..”
You know which song right? Just in our case, it is not as quiet as in the movie.
Many people also were a fan of this town, and when we visited it was quite crowded with tourists.
We were walking towards the center of the old town. The deeper we were into the old town, gone were those modern branded retail, and it felt like we were transported back by a time machine. I was in such awe of the architectural features of the town. The pastel colored traditional houses, the beautiful little canal with canoes in it, Colmar market selling local delicacies — all merged telling pieces of stories of how the life of people was back then. It is said that the house color was a pride of people living there. Yellow means that it’s a baker’s family house, blue means fisherman’s house, and so on.
Found a cute Disney-ish spot, fountain surrounded by houses. Excuse me I have to indulge in the moment.
Thank you husband for (once again) making my dream come true!
By the way, he passed the Pilot Theory Exam, halfway to go to become a full private pilot!
More about his pilot journey here.
MORE TRAVEL INFORMATION
We went to Colmar by car, it is easier if you’re driving so you can also visit more places in the region. It’s worth strolling 1–1.5 days in Colmar, walking in the old town and find surprises in each little turn and corner.
Park in one of the parking houses nearby, there are some near the city center. We parked here.
See more on our blog at www.dennislydia.com
