I wasn't really sure how Day 5 was going to play out, and that isn't how I like to do things. I like firm plans! Originally I planned to tour some villages around Colmar and use the holiday bus as my transportation. A month or so before I traveled, I discovered that the bus I would depend on for Day 5 only runs on the weekend. I looked around online and couldn't find a tour company or private driver to meet my needs (there are tour companies, but many go to the wineries, and I'm a weirdo who does NOT like wine...ok that's generous...I think wine is terrible).
When I arrived at my hotel on Day 4, the front desk employee was very nice and called around for me, and the tour company offered to drive me for €250 (that's like $285...for less than 4 hours...and less than 40 miles of driving). I took an Uber on Day 4, and that driver said he would be available to drive me the next day for €100.
I slept in a bit on Day 5 since I had been getting up early to catch trains (and shop for skincare) almost the whole trip, and then I headed out. I honestly wasn't sure what I was going to do. I had tried to contact the Uber driver, but he wasn't responding. There were public buses, but they weren't easiest mode of transportation. The very nice lady at the front desk asked me, as I passed through the lobby, what I had decided to do. I told her I didn't have a great answer, so she said "Let me call a taxi driver and talk to him". After a phone call and 15 minutes, she assured me she had it all worked out. A taxi would take me for €85. She said he would take me, drop me off, and then come back to Colmar and drive some people, and come back for me. I had very little trust, so I said, "he's never going to come back for me". She assured me the hotel used him all the time and he would.
So the taxi driver picked me up, he was very bossy about how long I needed to stay at each place, was overly nosey about why I travel alone, but he was nice and very chatty, and always picked me up on time (though I felt pretty good about it after he refused to take any money until the end of the day).
First stop, was Kaysersberg. I got out of the taxi and walked the direction the driver pointed me toward, and this was my first view of this village.
I was instantly smitten.
I wish the Christmas market had been open during the week (that is the main reason the holiday bus doesn't run during the week), but it was still a great town to walk through and soak in all the sights, hit the shops and enjoy some food.
There was rain off and on, but that didn't dampen my enthusiasm
for this place!
Some castle ruins on the hill.
It's like walking through a fairy tale and the only thing that brings you back to reality is the armed military you pass by. Kaysersberg also has some sad history. There is a hill just north of town that is called "Bloody Hill" (nicknamed by German troops in WWII) because so many soldiers died on that hill. Ultimately, the United States troops helped to liberate the Alsace region, so there is also a WWII American tank/memorial you pass when leaving town. Most recently, Kaysersberg is the town where Anthony Bourdain took his life last year.
Some blue skies!
This is actually a very nice 5 star hotel (where Anthony was staying). Those reindeer were animated and I loved them by the way. Funny thing is, as I was enjoying the reindeer, the Uber driver who wouldn't call me back was dropping off some hotel guests, and literally backed into them (they were fine, but he did hit them). I felt pretty good about my taxi driver at this point.
It was like walking through a charming gingerbread village.
But a gingerbread village with little narrow passageways that led to vineyards...
This was a Christmas store like you've never seen. There was a path you had to follow and you had to go up stairs, down stairs, and you had to go through the whole store to get out. No pics were allowed inside, but it was something else.
And because of the on again, off again rain/sunshine, there was a rainbow over the vineyards.
After getting back to Colmar, I headed out to see more of the town. Taking new paths I hadn't the day before, and then some of the same.
If you follow any travel instagrammers, this scene below is kind of instagram famous.
I went back to the market for an early dinner (really, I just wanted more of that salad, but also tried the quiche)...
Enjoying the markets as the sun sets
And that's a wrap on Alsace. I absolutely LOVED my time in Alsace. It's so unique and a place I 100% recommend you visit. Stay tuned...next stop is Switzerland.
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