Bell Rock und ein bisschen Venedig   Our day didn’t end in France. It actually ended in Venice and New England. Or so it seemed. Well, actually, it only ended in Europa Park, a German amusement park near the French border. While we’d been day tripping on the French side of things, the kids had spent the day going on fun rides and were expecting us to pick them up in the latter part of the afternoon. And since sister and I got there a bit early, we decided to take a look around – in Venice and New England. Or more precisely, in the park’s hotels which imitate the flair of those places. And for a moment it felt like our fairytale was still continuing as we marveled at the blue water in the lagoon of Bell Rock and replica of Italian life. Nothing wrong with a little dreaming on, I’d say. Unser Tag endete nicht in Frankreich. Er endete in Venedig und Neu England. Zumindest erschien uns das so. Denn eigentlich endete er …

Zurück nach Riquewihr   I’ve been to Riquewihr before. A few years ago. But you can figure, I liked that little town in France so much that I jumped at the opportunity right away when my sister suggested we should make Riquewihr another of our day’s destinations. If you’ve ever seen the Disney version of the Beauty and the Beast, or any other fairy tale cartoon, you think someone plopped you right onto that movie’s stage (except maybe for the fact that many other people love this little town so that it’s quite a bit overrun by tourists, I have to admit). But if many other people like it, it’s probably worth going there. Anyhow, what makes this town so pretty are all the quaint little colorful houses, the tiny alleys and all the little touches that make you feel like you’ve been dropped in the middle of fairyland! Ich war ja schon mal in Riquewihr. Vor ein paar Jahren. Aber ihr könnt euch denken, dass mir die kleine Stadt in Frankreich so sehr gefällt, …

Ein Besuch in Colmar   Having a nephew can have its perks at times. Like the other day. For my sister’s kids, the summer holidays are around the corner, and as things go in school, they tend to go pretty slow toward the end of the school year. So slow in fact, that dear nephew had a random day off school and wanted to take a couple of friends to an amusement park. My sister, of course, wasn’t too amused (as she was requested to be the designated driver), but she humored herself with the consolation that we could spend the day in France. Colmar and Riquewihr to be precise. So, after dropping off the kids at their destination, we travelled on, to explore the little French town of Colmar. And if you’ve never been there before and happen to be in the area, I can quite recommend the place to you. It’s a neat little town with tiny alleys and pretty houses and everything looks a little old and quaint. But it’s also definitely …

Ottensteiner Dorfteich   Ottenstein is just a little village. But because of its curvy roads, it’s pretty popular with bikers around here. My mom likes Ottenstein for another reason, however. During a recent visit, she fell in love with the village pond. And seeing the place, I can understand why. Ottenstein ist nur ein kleiner Ort. Aber wegen seiner kurvenreichen Straßen ist es unter Motorradfahrern ziemlich beliebt in der Gegend. Meiner Mutter gefällt Ottenstein allerdings aus einem anderen Grund: Während eines Besuchs kürzlich, hat es ihr der Dorfteich angetan. Und nachdem ich nun dort war, kann ich verstehen, warum.