Mick and I almost made it to Colmar about five times over the last few weeks when we were touring the Routes de Vins d’Alsace  – but we deliberately decided not to visit as we knew we could visit it without the need of a car, which I always prefer.

So, during our recent stopover in Mulhouse, we took a train trip to Colmar, about 20 minutes away, and spent time in this very pretty town – renowned for its well-preserved town centre. We walked past these fountains (above) on our way to the centre ville from the railway station – and this was a great first impression of the town as it had lots of well-maintained and well-used parklands.

But, it was the central part of the town that was the “star”. This photo (below) is of the part of the town known as “Little Venice”.

I actually did very well to get this shot – sans personnes – (without anybody in the shot)  – as there were several bus loads of Chinese tourists in town the same time we were there, and they were loving it as much as Mick and I were. We even saw people enjoying boat rides along the canal while we were there.

Mick is standing here in front of Maison de Têtes – or the House of Heads – in la Rue des Têtes. You have to look very closely but there are (apparently) 105 little heads (or “grotesque masks”) on the facade of the building.  It was built in 1609!!

Colmar owes its cute and mostly-original appearance to the fact that it was pretty much spared from destruction during both World Wars, and even before that during the French Revolution. The town is criss-crossed by canals and a river, which gives the town a feeling of tranquility and coolness.

One of the town’s famous ex-inhabitants was Auguste Bartholdi, who was born there in 1834.

This statue (at the right) is located in the courtyard of his original home which now houses the Bartholdi Museum. The museum is dedicated to Bartholdi – the great sculptor and painter – who is most well-known for being the person who designed the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France to the United States in the late 19th Century.

Pfister House below

This was built in 1537 – by a milliner, but now is used as a cave – where local wines of the Alsace are sold. Mick and I only did some window-shopping here.

The house below was built in 1480 – think about that for a moment – more than 500 years old, and it was once the town’s political and business centre. The ground floor was used for markets and a customs house for several centuries.

We were very lucky with the weather during our stay, and despite some early morning showers, the days turned out to be beautiful.

We will spend much of Friday on a train to Montpellier, and during the evening we will meet the cat we are to care for over the next 10 days.

I’ll keep you posted.