Colmar

Canal area of Colmar

Colmar was a pleasant surprise since I had no prior knowledge of the city.  Our Ibis hotel was located a block from the car-free Medieval old town with its numerous half-timbered buildings.  This sunny Saturday produced hoards of visitors and many tour groups.  We spent the day walking the town and poking around the area, including the Little Venice section of canals.

The Unterlinden Museum was unfortunately under renovation and an expansion designed by Herzog & de Meuron and due to reopen in December.  Its most famous work of art, the Isenheim Alterpiece (1512-1516) by Grunewald and Nicolas de Haguenau (and Martin Schangauer's Madonna of the Rose Bower) are on display at the nearby Dominican Church.

Isenheim Alterpiece

At 5:30 we headed northwest for a look at some villages on the Alsace "Wine Road", stopping at three-star Riquewihr, also awash with tourists and numerous wine-tasting shops.