On to Riquewihr, France.

"A good snapshot stops a moment from running away."

~Eudora Welty

From Colmar, we drove north to Riquewihr, where we found yet another charming old town. Vineyards seemed to surround the city, blanketing the countryside. They were rather mesmerizing to me.

Riquewihr was largely untouched during World War II and is surrounded by medieval fortifications. Although the city looks, more or less, the same as it did in the 16th century I was told, we did see several things that probably would not have made an appearance back then.

Confetti lined the cobblestone sidewalks hinting at the joyful celebration which must have welcomed in the new year just two days before.

Just inside on the main street, we found a sad sight. We learned that the lights on a Christmas tree (or maybe candles in the house burning until late in the night, I can't remember) ignited one of the historic homes on fire and the older woman who lived there was not able to escape. She had died before the fire, which consumed 90% of her home and spilled into the adjacent home, was finally extinguished. A tragic loss of life, as well as a piece of history.

The demolished house stood between the bright blue one and the yellowish one to its left. You can see how the roof of the blue one was damaged.

Despite the tragedy and the solemn mood we felt in town, we were still able to see the quaintness of the community, which entices visitors all throughout the year.

And of course we couldn't leave without macaroons. Yum. Orange flavored, regular almond, and chocolate. And yes, the picture below tells the tale of our impatience... we each had one before we even got back into the car! They were SO good.

On our way home to Germany from Riquewihr while still in France, we stopped at a chocolate shop, Chocolaterie du Vignoble - Daniel STOFFEL.

Photo found here.

Photo found here.

Seriously, so much chocolate. Not that I'm complaining...

The overcast day was really beautiful to me because the clouds still had shape and the views were just spectacular.

Fred and Linda surprised us with a different (than their normal) route home, which included a ferry ride across the Rhine. Yes, we were driving. That meant that we drove our car onto the ferry, which only held three cars at a time and floated across the Rhine as the final snippets of daylight could be seen.

What a beautiful day and a beautiful night sky to end our day.

Tomorrow, is Rothenburg. Beautiful, quaint Rothenburg.
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