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Enjoying the report. Tyrol, Salzburgland, and Bavaria were favorites for us, and looking at your photos makes me smile.
Condolences on the loss of a furred companion. It is never easy to say goodbye. |
Originally Posted by Melnq8
(Post 17716303)
I wish I had the guts to go towel free in a sauna, but I'm just too much of a prude yank🫣
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Hey guys,
I'm going to pause on the report to see if we (me & Fodors' Tech Pros) can fix the photo problem. I would like to be able to add captions and spaces between photos. Lol, Mel! The first time I was in a clothing optional sauna, I pulled open the door to get a full frontal of some Jabba the Hut character. I know I shouldn't fat shame the poor guy, but it was a pretty big surprise. I've lived here long enough, I guess, to have adapted some attitudes. First of all, I know my old 71-year-old body is not significantly more hideous than others', and second of all ... I guess we can get a funny story or nothing at all will happen. You can keep the towel wrapped around you the whole time you're in there. You cannot sweat on the wood, so the towel must come between your skin and the wood. You can take 3 or 4 towels if you want. Thank you, Ingo! You may remember when I first got her. I'm doing ok hobbling along, lol; at least I have an excuse not to try to keep up with Mel's hikes ;) Thank you ANUJ! Glad the photos are giving you a smile! I also just adore the Salzburgerland! Thank you so much; yes, it's a tough time. So, no new photos. But I drove 2h20 from Hohenschwangau to Appenzell. It was pretty easy, but Waze put me on some cowpath over a mountain -- the road was so narrow that one car had to stop if a car approached in the opposite direction. I'm not finding Appenzell very gorgeous. The countryside outside of town is beautiful, but the town is just a few pretty buildings around a central square. If I need to use this area again as a mid-point in a drive, I'll probably stay in a countryside inn. s |
S, yes I remember. Do you remember that I almost got to see her once on the drive to (or from?) my Swiss vacation?
How do you upload? In my trip report I upload one picture at a time from "Device", meaning the PC's hard drive. I can add titles, then click on upload, then, once it has uploaded, I click enter and then start all over. |
I hope the photo issue gets sorted - we are hanging on for our mountains/ cute villages/ velvet green meadows..photos 😎
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Yes, I remember that vividly, Ingo. Lol that was just the start of her rule over every single aspect of my life..
Yes, I tried it that way, twice, on the test area. It didn't work for me. The only way the photos will load is if I don't hit "return," which means the photos will all run together. Thanks Adelaidean! I think I will go ahead and post another day. You can tell me if it's tolerable having the photos run together, or if I should wait and try posting from home, from my laptop or my old tablet. |
Monday 13 April
Today's mission is to drive to Appenzell, which Google maps says should take about 2h30. I left at about 09.00, and despite drizzle and fog, it was an ok drive. Except at one point where Waze had me make a sharp right-hand turn up a mountain on a very narrow road – so narrow that one car had to stop and pull over for any cars coming the opposite direction. I arrived around 12.00 to the tiny town. It's really just a cluster of pretty buildings around a square. I'm guessing that the main draw here is the countryside and nearby villages, but with only one night, I didn't have the time to see much. I wandered around town and had lunch, then wondered some more. The hotel told me that they were going to close completely on Tuesday, that I would be having breakfast at a neighboring hotel, and that I should just put the key in my room when I left. It was quite eerie being the only soul in the hotel in the morning. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e8b482fe26.jpg Appenzell https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...74fb84a8ed.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ba80446ad1.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...78dc762948.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...47ab5a8e3b.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c58637462f.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a95da102e1.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...79aa68b757.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...597fe56a67.jpg That gorgeous countryside outside of town https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...53c19b91e4.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6bc9a75696.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f44fa5d7d8.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1c0b23dae3.jpg Not all the buildings are gorgeous and inviting https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...aedab20ad9.jpg |
Good to see the pictures showing up here ... congrats! ;-)
Appenzell has never been a favourite of mine. Cannot say what it is. Yep, it's picturesque at first sight, but then ... You captured the ambience very well in your photos. Keep it coming, s! |
Great, .. you got the photos up.
Looking forward to Colmar and surrounds. |
Thanks Ingo!
Hope this is what you wanted, Ade! Tuesday 14 April Google maps said the drive today from Appenzell to Colmar would be about 2h30. Waze laughed. It took 4h. Waze routed me on local roads; I was only on a highway for about 60 of the 240 km. I don't know why it did that; I'm guessing there was so much construction and traffic on the highways that the local roads were actually faster. It was mostly ok but took about an hour to get through Freiburg. My confidence in driving alone through unfamiliar European towns got a big boost though. I got to Colmar at about 13.00. I parked in the hotel's garage (TIGHT squeeze – my car's sensors were SCREEEEECHING at me) and set off to have lunch and explore. What a beautiful town. I fell in love immediately. My hotel is on Rue Turenne, just steps from the canals, but very quiet. Wednesday 15 April Today's just for meandering. I wandered the town, found the Medieval Ramparts, the Dominican church and Dominican library, Hansi Museum (really a large shop with a museum at the back, but I didn't go in – it reminded me of a Käthe Wohlfahrt store in Germany), the House of the Heads, the Cathedral, and the Unterlinden Museum. I skirted the annoying Easter Market stalls; they felt very kitchy, trying to build on the Christmas markets. Really loved the Unterlinden Museum, especially so many displays with clear German origins – such a graphic reminder of how arbitrary country borders can be. Sat and stared at the Isenheim Altarpiece, which was difficult as there were various tour groups and tour leaders speaking in urgent whispers into a microphone. Absolutely adored the cloisters. Then lunch at a truffles restaurant, then got lost, and eventually found my way back to the hotel. I’d been on my feet for 4h with no perceptible foot drop, so that's a big win. I was walking super slowly, so I guess that is the key. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...280c3eb8ef.jpg Little Venice https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...06ce3f38ad.jpg Little Venice https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9701d8b9fe.jpg Little Venice https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...22aca55466.jpg Fountaine Rosselmann https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7e9923c806.jpg Pretty sidestreet https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ff4b49297d.jpg Park https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1af2613450.jpg Chapel Saint-Pierre https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b1618aff07.jpg Park by the chapel https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...47f556d1d0.jpg Medieval Ramparts https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...65f37f2960.jpg Medieval Ramparts https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...18291135b7.jpg Medieval Ramparts https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ee05bf7a26.jpg The old town is full of little squares and streets like this https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...abe50f01ce.jpg Saint-Martin's Church https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e617e26af4.jpg Saint-Martin's https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4109394da6.jpg Saint-Martin's https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...934250cbe8.jpg And across from tne church, kitchy Easter/Spring Market stalls https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...66ae26481b.jpg Saint-Martin's https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9f825184ef.jpg Pretty Street https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6f8632f0f9.jpg Kitchy neon ride https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4a42a5367a.jpg House of Heads https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d2ff9f5a7a.jpg Hansi Museum https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c22a7f2ce3.jpg Lovely old half-timbered buildings https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...91934d983b.jpg Unterlinden Musem, housed in a 13th Century Convent https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7510464a4a.jpg Pretty buildings https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...14738b0c89.jpg Cloisters of the museum https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...08832594e4.jpg Cloisters https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a98b79a534.jpg Cloisters https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...75d539558f.jpg Pretty street https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...47c40194f7.jpg Pretty building https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...782ca41098.jpg Interesting street https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...88e1e66e34.jpg Love these old stone buildings https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e723158fbd.jpg Pretty building https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9d31d51f24.jpg Pretty street |
I love Colmar. I only visited as a day trip from Freiburg but saw a lot. Unterlinden museum was super fascinating - the Isenheimer Altar stunning. Did you go into St. Martin church? If I recall correctly it has the Madonna im Rosenhag, a lovely altar painting.
Good news on your foot! :-) Please keep it coming! |
Oh yes, wandering those streets - gorgeous….
now you just need to stumble across a patisserie 🍰 |
Lol Ingo! We have the same taste. Sadly, I didn't go inside the St Martin's Church. I tend to favor Gothic style churches, like the Basilika St Michael in Altenstadt (Schongau). Do you know that one?? I'm mesmerized when I go inside. But it seems I'd like St Martin's, from the photos. I'll see if I can get there.
Lol Ade ... NO! NONOnononooooo Thursday 16 April Today's mission was to see Riquewihr. And here's where the problem with public transport comes in. I didn't want to drive – the tiny garage, the screeching car, town traffic, and hunting for parking at my destination are just not worth the convenience for me. So, transport options were, one, the Kutzig bus, but it only runs on weekends, when everyone in France who is not at the Eiffel Tower will be in Riquewihr. The second option is a local bus that runs from Colmar to Riquewihr, but only twice in the morning, at 07.45 and 11.10, with returns possible at 15.15 and 16.18. Well 07.45 is too early and 11.10 is too late. Ah well, I decided to take the 11.10. In Switzerland, there would likely be a bus every 15 minutes, and in Germany likely a bus every hour. Well, that's France. I left the hotel at 10.00. Google maps said it would take 15 minutes to walk to the train station. But I get lost a lot, I walk supersuper slowly these days, I needed to find an ATM enroute, and I needed to locate the bus stop. So I left at 10.00. The walk took me 38 minutes, and I found an ATM at a bank across from the Gare. Then I hobbled between the four or five bus shelters, and a few folks and I found the correct one pretty quickly. The drive out was unremarkable. The vineyards did not enchant me. Well, it's early in the year, so there is not much growth yet. But my favorite vineyards are those above Lake Geneva because, well, Alpine lake. So these vineyards were … fine. So I walked through the village taking photos. I get its appeal; it's a beautiful little place. But I found it a bit much. Found a cozy spot for lunch. Walked through town again. Interestingly, I heard mostly French on the street. Maybe two groups of folks speaking English. One group speaking Italian. And lot of German, but it was a different German than I'm used to; it was almost Swiss, very singsong melodic. Don't know if that's typical of Black Forest German or not. I only had to wait about an hour for the 15.15 bus, and I got to talking with a pretty and sweet Korean young woman who was travelling through France for four weeks. She spoke little English and no French, so we chatted through her phone's translate app. Once at the Colmar Gare, I hopped on the free electric bus for a ride back to the hotel. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a689967145.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dfb8df95e2.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...936b58f942.jpg Beautiful buildings https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f4b00a5e22.jpg Love the old stone https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2f8384d8f7.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...311bf7d72c.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6d5a3f76ae.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3e098872e5.jpg There was one main street through the town, with interesting side streets https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...221f5e75c4.jpg There were many small courtyards -- some were shops and some were restaurants https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...37d7f073c2.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...796051879b.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e37a8c414a.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ca967d29c9.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7c9ce2507e.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b9c92a9e17.jpg Unfriendly local. But still a sweet sweet baby baby https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c8105d8c92.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...aeaeb1636d.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...181952910a.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5b279dc768.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...053f95c764.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b88ede8ddf.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...183c96fca0.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4026b4289e.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3ee99b1cea.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0c4278e3c9.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5b4635aa1c.jpg The edge of town https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1e1a0a3ea5.jpg Edge of town https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4db03ae8c3.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...01c5d4f6c4.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...25530879f9.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0de74000d9.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5ae3071ff9.jpg Such beauty in the age https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3a22a79440.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e526f0e577.jpg The Ramparts https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...12d01f7e4a.jpg Edge of town https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8d7ce3e8a4.jpg More locals, more friendly https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ddf30cc1fe.jpg Evidence of life beyond tourism -- beer & cigar stub https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d01c1ad014.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bb54d3806d.jpg This was the roof of the restaurant where I ate. Had a wonderful Tarte Flambee with Emmental cheese https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9b7c453f49.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3769c653e3.jpg Riquewihr https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...72861419bc.jpg Depiction of Riquewihr https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...db4fb27b96.jpg Outside of town https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2a15319682.jpg Outside of town |
Those side streets are really charming. And nice to see it greening up, even if it’s too early for flowerboxes.
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Picturesque, so cute! I love the mix of stone and timber-framed houses.
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