Another last minute trip – Colmar

It was another last minute idea, I decided to go to Colmar this week for two days. I left Paris in the morning of the Labour Day, on 1st of May. Early in the morning, the usually-busy street “Rue du Ranelagh” was empty on my way to the metro station. That image was very inspiring and I couldn’t help taking a photo of it:

So there my trip to Colmar began….. 

Like in Strasbourg, the Alsatian houses in Colmar are very particular. They easily bring you joy and a smiling face by their different colours and exposed beams. The city first seemed very cute and relaxing to me.

The main touristic spot in Colmar is “La Petite Venise” (translated directly as “the Little Venice”). It is a 30-minutes boat ride on the canal of Colmar. Since it was a last-minute choice, I arrived Colmar knowing nothing about it! The weather was perfect, so I started my first day there with this boat ride which was enchanting!

It was also surprising to see how many tourists from all around the world were in Colmar. I never thought that it a small French city like Colmar would be such a touristic destinations! However, comparing to Deauville, the locals in Colmar seemed colder, not as friendly as in Deauville…. more or less like in Paris….

There were also incredible landmarks like the Ancienne Douane (Koïfhus) with more than 500 years of history. They are extremely well preserved and it was a pleasure to see. A lady was performing joyfully in front of it, she made the tourists (including myself) so happy. 

I have no idea whether gastronomy is famous in Colmar, but while walking around the city, I could see Michelin-starred restaurants everywhere, with menus starting at just 20 euros! Pretty incredible isn’t it? Unfortunately, they were very full, so I couldn’t try one for dinner. Instead, I randomly walked into a restaurant, which was not very good…

After dinner, I had a nice long walk on my own in the city when the sun was set and the sky was dark. In the dark, the city of Colmar showed a totally different charm. The walk was very very pleasant. The distance from Paris, from my daily routine and life, opened up so many space for self reflexion. At the end of the day, this is what solo trips are all about!

The second day was a rainy day, so I decided to spend some time in the museums. My favorite one was the house where the famous French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi was born. We know Bartholdi mainly for his Statue of Liberty (New York) given to the United States as a gift from France. There he is! A charming portrait of him!

Another highlight of this trip is an unexpected encounter. I walked pass the shop of the jewellery maker Dany Tonin, fascinated by her beautiful works with natural stones. Eventually we started talking, then continued talking for quite a moment. Dany is a charming and beautiful lady, so so passionate about what she does with his husband: creating different jewellery pieces. From our conversation I learnt that they have been creating artworks for more than 10 generations!!!!!! How amazing is that!? She explained that it is more and more difficult today to keep on doing that, the society leaves less and less space for artistic creation, and nowadays it is hard for them to make a living…. My respect to the passion of this couple! Here’s their website: https://latelieramoureux.com

Before leaving, Dany very kindly gave me these three stones as souvenirs. According to her, natural stones have their own vibration and depending on the type of stone, they project certain energy. Dany said that these stones will bring me good luck. I was very touched by her gesture.