UBC October 2026 - Colmar

Yesterday I was telling you about our wonderful stroll through Eguisheim, which was supposed to be a stopover on our way to Colmar, but turned out to be the main attraction.

By all means, I don't want to downplay Colmar's beauty. Not every place can look like it came straight out of the Middle Ages and a Disney movie!

Actually, I have to take that back. Of course Colmar was also built in the Middle Ages, and it looks plenty fairy-tale-like. I mean, you can't beat these colourful half-timbered houses, right? Just look at how prettyand remarkably well preserved they are.

We soon passed a wonderfully whimsical building that immediately made us wonder what it was. Turns out it houses the Musée Hansi, dedicated to the Alsatian illustrator Jean-Jacques Waltz, better known as Hansi. His colourful drawings and watercolours depict Alsace in much the same charming, almost storybook style we had just been admiring in Eguisheim.

And then there are the storks. The white stork is one of Alsace's most beloved symbols, with enormous nests crowning church towers, chimneys and rooftops throughout its towns and villages. So now we understood why the region's souvenir shops are full of stork plushies.

A strong competitor at the souvenir stands is the Mannele (or Mannala in southern Alsace), the little man-shaped brioche traditionally associated with St Nicholas Day. The stuffed versions, however, are considerably more durable, and they look rather more like the gingerbread men we're familiar with.

The stork itself has an even more remarkable story. Once on the brink of extinction, with fewer than ten breeding pairs left in Alsace in the 1970s, it has made a spectacular comeback thanks to dedicated conservation efforts. Today, more than 1,000 breeding pairs live in the region.

One of the pleasures of wandering through Alsace's old towns is spotting the beautifully crafted hanging signs jutting out from the historic façades, announcing everything from inns and restaurants to bakeries and wine shops. I know you understand the one below, at the very least thanks to the trendy charcuterie boards ;-)

Which brings us to another little linguistic detour. Ever wondered why English is so full of French food words? It goes all the way back to the Norman Conquest of 1066, when French-speaking Norman rulers and their households brought their language into the English court and elite society. Centuries later, French cuisine became the gold standard of sophisticated dining, reinforced by wealthy British households employing French chefs. The result is a delicious linguistic legacy: cuisine, chef, menu, entrée, pastry, charcuterie and countless other French words are now perfectly at home in English.

And just as French has left its mark on English cuisine, Alsace is a delicious meeting point of French and German culinary traditions. One of its most iconic treats is the Kougelhopf, a tall, fluted cake made from a lightly sweetened yeast dough, traditionally studded with raisins and topped with almonds. Its German cousin, the Gugelhupf, is more commonly made from a rich Rührteig and therefore has a softer, more cake-like texture.

But Kougelhopf isn't necessarily sweet. Bakeries also sell a salé (savoury) version, traditionally made with ingredients such as bacon and walnuts, which makes perfect sense as an accompaniment to a glass of Alsatian wine.

And yet, despite all the pretty houses, whimsical signs and culinary discoveries, we still managed to miss one of Colmar's most famous sights.

We have to come back another time.

We missed Little Venice, the neighbourhood along the Lauch River, with its winding canals, colourful half-timbered houses dating from the 14th to the 18th centuries, and flower-bedecked bridges. During the summer months, you can even take a short boat tour through this romantic postcard scene.

So what do you think? Which town would you like to visit, Eguisheim or Colmar? Or both ;-)