I am writing this inside a first class car on the train to Strasbourg. I departed Paris this morning and I’m taking the route east to Alsace, a wine region close to Germany. My destination is Colmar.
Musings in the Train
First class in a French train is not as luxurious as it sounds. It is basically less people than coach with none of the fancy upgrades you find in a first class flight. As I sit looking out the large horizontal windows at the French countryside, the fluid movement of the train lulls me into a state of reflection.
The day is overcast. Clouds blanket the entire sky in varying degrees of gray. Some carry rain, others simply provide a filter for the sunlight above. That’s ok. I like cloudy days like this. The gray contrasts with the other earthy colors making the greens of the pastures appear more vibrant and the yellow and red leaves brighter than they would on a sunny day. A sunny day will always steal the spotlight with bright blue skies and fluffy white shape-shifter clouds. But a gray sky says, “Nothing to see here, pay attention down below at the hills and trees.”
I’m not sure what the French agriculture is like in this particular area. I see large patches of green fields while others are a light brown color. Some fields look freshly harvested. Maybe I’ll see some harvesting equipment up ahead. After all, I did spot two John Deere tractors on my way to Reims. Perhaps I will see more. The fields spread for miles, occasionally interrupted by large, clean energy windmills or a cluster of white houses with dark roofs, which I guess must be small villages since these clusters all seem to have at least one church.
Deep Reflection About Paris… Thanks Amor Towles
Having given the French countryside the admiration it deserves, my thoughts turn back to Paris. What a magical city! Yesterday I began my day at Invalides to pay my respect to Napoleon, and in the afternoon I attended the opera of Rigoletto at the Opera Bastille. It was wonderful.
Last night I sat in a brasserie eating salmon with a side of ratatouille and drinking a glass of Sancerre, I read a chapter of Rules of Civility from Amor Towles. The story takes place in 1938 and in this chapter, an aristocratic young man traveling through Europe decides to do a trip to Paris so he could buy an engagement ring in Cartier. My first thought was that it would be a better gift to bring his fiancée to Paris. Why should he have all the fun? My second thought was that he would be in Paris a few years before it fell to the Nazi’s. And that’s when it struck me that Paris has seduced people through the centuries with her incomparable allure. Did the Nazi’s not spare her while they destroyed the rest of the country? Did the great artists not come here to write and paint and be inspired? Were the cafes not full of the Hemingways and Picassos of the world? Was royalty not present when the Eiffel Tower officially opened?
Colmar: German Fairytale Come to Life
My deep thoughts about Paris ended when I descended at the Strasbourg station and boarded the train the Colmar. Thirty minutes later I arrived at my final destination. I walked from the Colmar train station to my hotel and I was immediately in love! The hotel Le Marechal looks like a house out of an illustrated German fairytale. With the exposed beams on the façade, colorful shutters and flowers under the windows. Inside, it was like stepping back in time… in a good way! Wooden banisters with deep red carpet and gilded ornaments. The keys are the ones that are actual keys, not cards, and are so heavy that you have to drop them off at reception before you leave the hotel. My room… or chamber (that sounds more apt) is adorable. It is cozy and has two windows with a direct view to the square. It also has a Nespresso machine… some modernity is good. 😉
Pretzels? You Mean Bretzels!
Immediately I left to explore the city. The buildings are all colorful in the traditional German fairytale style. The entire Alsace region is very similar to Germany, except people speak French. There is a little canal that passes through the village and I decided to follow it with no destination in particular. On the way I discovered a market that sold pretzels (or bretzels as the French call them). I bought a chorizo bretzel. Imagine a pizza but the base is a heart-shaped pretzel covered in cheese and topped with chorizo slices. Oh, yeah, and here is the best part… they toast it! So the cheese is warm and melty. Yummm…
Chorizo bretzel in hand, I continued my aimless wandering and ended up at the center of town, still surrounded by German fairy tale buildings. Except in this fairy tale… there is plenty of shopping to be done! Lots of my favorite stores lined the street: Pimkie, Swarovski, Naf Naf, Desigual… oh, the glorious shopping!
Cookies and Spice and Everything Nice!
All throughout Colmar, I passed wonderful patisseries from which the most wonderful aromas of gingerbread floated out into the street. At a certain point, I gave in and went inside one of them to see what all the fuss was about. You know those gross assorted Danish cookies people get for Christmas in a tin can? Well, they were making those same cookies, with the same traditional shape, but with a fabulous, buttery flavor that you just could not believe. A plump woman gave me one to try and I could have kissed her. The cookies crumbled in my mouth releasing the most wonderful combination of spices. “Mmmmm…” I moaned with my mouth full of cookie and my eyes round with pleasure. The woman laughed and she gave me a chocolate macaroon (the ones made from shaved coconut). The macaroon was even better! “Donnez-moi un sachet,” I said as crumbs flew out from my mouth. (Give me a bag).
As I was closing the loop of my walk, I encountered a Christmas store. A store of all things Christmas. From the windows I could see brightly decorated trees and rooms and rooms filled with ornaments, each with a theme based in color. I remembered that Alsace is known for their Christmas markets, much like some German towns are. I went into the store and came out with a few ornaments.
Snails? Yes, Please With Butter and Garlic
Finding a restaurant for dinner was hard. In Paris all I had to do was look to my left and right and I had a handful to choose from. But in Colmar all restaurants within three blocks of my hotel were completely booked for the night (tout complet)! At last I found one named Au Chaudron. Dinner was excellent. First, I ordered the escargots in a butter and garlic sauce and a Pinot Gris from Alsace. In all my trips to France, I can remember a few meals that were not just excellent, but unforgettable. These escargots joined that list. The waiter had to bring me more bread so I could scoop up ALL of the sauce! Some people squirm at the thought of escargots, but really, I call them the smoked oysters of the earth. They are similar in appearance and texture, except the escargots exhibit less brininess and more earthiness. The second course was a fish and sauerkraut (yep, we are close to Germany, remember?). For dessert I had vanilla ice cream and coffee to round out this delectable meal.
