Colmar, France

Last summer I had the pleasure of joining a wonderful group of friends from our local Protestant Women of the Chapel group on a weekend retreat in France. We had a block of free time where we chose between four or five different day trips, and I got to visit Colmar, France with four other ladies, two of whom happen to be some of my favorite neighbors.

Colmar, situated in the Alsace region of France, is a town full of vibrantly colored, half-timbered houses, canals, cobblestone streets, beautiful flowers, and lots of charm. Strolling the streets of town, you feel like you have stepped straight into Belle's hometown from Beauty and the Beast. It looks and feels like a fairy tale!

 

We took a canal tour to get a different view of this gorgeous French town.

Storks play a huge part in the folklore and tradition of the Alsace region. Symbols of happiness, luck, fertility, and faithfulness, storks can be seen all over Colmar - many, many decorative ones and even some real ones.

In addition to being incredibly picturesque, Colmar also has tons of great shops to check out. From regional wines, yummy pretzels, and cookies to souvenir shops filled with storks and red and white checkered kitchen items, Colmar has a little something for everybody.

We were all incredibly excited to go in this store and get a bag full of caramels. They had so many yummy flavors!

Like all good European cities, Colmar also has a beautiful church sitting in its center. The gothic style St. Martin's Church dates back to the 14th century.

Colmar is absolutely a visual feast for the eyes, and it is really high on my list of beautiful European cities! This will always be one of my favorite memories from our time in Europe because I got to explore this fantastic city with some fantastic ladies!