Thursday, May 14
Norm, continuing to try and look "native" in his rumpled jeans and wan looking gray "T" shirt, inadvertently walked through part of Colmar's old town holding a gaudy blue and yellow Rick Steves' Guide to France in his hand. Pam had asked him to hold it for a moment and he just kept on holding it. Good dog. This display of dorkiness, when brought to his attention by Pam, put a damper on the blending in with the crowd thing for a bit. "Hi, I'm a hayseed from Iowa - mug me." Pam just rolled her eyes.
Unbelievably, right in the midst of old town we came across a very large 13th century cathedral being scrubbed and loved by the locals. What are the chances? We didn't rest until we'd walked all around it trying to find a way in. Going to the front in the first place would have been a good start. Very nice and now it has another few centuries of life in it. Colmar's old town has been chi chi-fied with trendy shops like Guess, Claire and a Fossil outlet. Even souvenir shops were in short supply, but we finally found a plastic place mat. We may have to buy an extra suitcase to hold them all. William Randolph Hearst furnished San Simeon with the spoils of Europe and the Trumps are just following in his footsteps.
Back in Mulhouse we also visited the National Automobile Museum, also known as the Schlumpf Collection. The Schlumpf brothers were French industrialists and brother Fritz was a bit of a car nut. A really interesting story if you care to Google it. As a teaser, when their workers rioted over workplace issues, including low pay and layoffs, they opened the door of one huge building and were amazed to find it filled with the most marvellous (i.e., money, money) automobiles. The whole scene did nothing to assuage their anger, which they vented on one of the autos by burning it. Appropriately, they picked a British car - take that, perfidious Albion! Seems the brothers also had a wee bit of an issue with back taxes, which the French government recouped in cars.
The entrance with floating cars:
We've cancelled our third night in Mulhouse and rebooked in Strasbourg instead. So, tomorrow we'll take a one way meandering 125 mile drive from south to north on Alsace's wine road between Mulhouse and Strasbourg, tippling the local grape as we go. Pam reminds Norm that she's not the one driving. The route is replete with hilltop castles, quaint medieval villages and, for those more gastronomically refined than us, lots of Michelin-starred restaurants. We're more the baguette and cheese types, with a pickle thrown in. Partly cloudy skies today, no rain, hope for the same tomorrow.
Walking, chewing gum AND playing the accordion in stilts? Now that's talent! They were just walking down the street so Pam snapped a photo.
Not sure why there are chickens hanging in tourist shops:
Pam liked this painting in a gallery window:
Like a ménage a trois, we never travel without Rick Steve's!
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