Week 39

We tried to get into the Christmas spirit this weekend. I know it's early... but to send presents back to the US you have to start early! We went to the Mannheim Holiday Bazaar with high expectations, I guess, because we were a little disappointed. Then we went to see A Christmas Carol and were disappointed again. It was WAY too scary and deep for the kids! It didn't help that at on a really scary part the movie died and then the theater went black. Kids were crying and had to leave. It was like that for almost 20 minutes!!
So... we decided to go to our first Weihnachsmarkt (Christmas Market) of the year. They all start sometime next week but a few started this weekend. We decided to go to the one in Colmar, France.

What a beautiful city!!



The streets are lined with charming cafe's and half-timbered houses, most of which are painted in bright colors instead of the usual white. Small canals run through the town, which once were used by tanners. One area is called "Little Venice" because of the canals and the little bridges that cross them.

Again, however, we were somewhat disappointed though. We got there around 1pm and waited all day for the markets to open. Finally we decided to leave around 5pm and most things still hadn't opened. We still had a great time though. I know we'll be getting our fill of Christmas Markets before it's all said and done!!

One cool thing about Colmar is that it was the home of the great artist and sculptor Federic Auguste Bartholdi, born in 1834. Bartholdi is well known for being the world-renowned designer of the Statue of Liberty.


We walked around a little to get a bearings first. The city was so picturesque!


Everyone was hungry since it was past 1:00 already so we found a little boulangerie and got some Pannini's.

The crew waiting for me to come back with lunch


Mmmmm.....


Meeting some of the locals.

Exploring the city



Stopping for some chocolates


Waiting for the markets to open...


Still waiting...

Warming up with some hot chocolate

Making several trips back to van for potty!!
Whitney stayed dry all weekend and went potty in the potty chair every time we took her. She hasn't done #2 for 2 days though... :(

Jeremy had a hankering for some chestnuts roasted on an open fire to snack on for the ride home...

Overall we had a great day!
Now we know not to go to the markets during the day.
oh well... lesson learned. :)

I wouldn't trade a day like this for anything. I think one great advantage to living here in Europe, as opposed to visiting, is that you can take a short day trip to some small city off the beaten path that you would never have visited otherwise. They aren't main tourist attractions but so surprisingly interesting. These spontaneous little adventures are some of my most favorite and treasured memories.