So Bill and I just got back from Colmar, France.  This was our first trip since our return to Germany.  We had intended to visit Colmar last time we were here but never got around to it.  Since Bill only had two nights free and this would be our dogs’ first visit to the Hunde Hotel Haase, I kind of wanted to stay close.  I didn’t think our dog Arran would give them any problems and we haven’t gotten any indication that he did, but I wanted to be sure we were somewhat near in case there was a problem.

The day got off to a rough start.  First, the coffee grinder that we bought in August broke and was blowing smoke in the kitchen.  And then Arran left me a big “present” spread in the basement, complete with a puddle.  It took some doing to clean that up.

We started our trip to France at around noon on Saturday, the 11th.  Since check in at our hotel, Le Relais du Ried in Bischwihr, France, wasn’t until 4:00pm, we decided to take our time getting there.  We took the long way, on B28, which took us through a stunning part of the Black Forest.  We stopped for lunch at Turmbräu, a really nice brewery/biergarten in a nice looking town called Freudenstadt.  The place was pretty packed when we arrived, so Bill and I shared a double stool at the bar.

I noticed a lot of people were dressed in traditional garb… women in dirndls and men in lederhosen.  Two guys in leather pants were sitting at the bar, each with a mas krug of the Fall Fest beer.  They looked like they had been there awhile.  The two of them were talking about nonsense, constantly bantering and slurring their words.  Bill got a big kick out of them.  They’d say something about beer in Barcelona, then follow it up with “Ja, ja, ja…”  Then they’d talk about tuna salad and more “Ja, ja, ja.”  There were two ladies sitting next to them who seemed very entertained, both by the drunken Germans and us, the wayward Americans.  They ate lunch and had more beer, then one of the ladies said she had to use the bathroom.  Then, one of the men said he needed to go… “Ja, ja, ja.”

The food and beer was very good, though, and served to us by a hardworking Asian German guy in lederhosen with the name of the brewery stenciled across his butt…  Most of the wait staff were wearing similar garb.

The beer was good, too!

 

We kept driving through some beautiful countryside.  I took pictures as the car moved.  Many of them turned out surprisingly decently.  And I also scored a free pit stop…

After drinking beer in Freudenstadt, I soon had to whiz…  This was a lifesaver.  It was clean and free, too!  I have a friend who is an artist and loves the graphics on this port a potty…

Interesting advertising for a Gasthaus…

Once we arrived in France, there were cornfields aplenty…

 

Some of the towns we passed through leaving Germany were obviously spa towns.  We must pay a visit sometime.  They were very pretty, though I did spot a few bored looking teens sitting in a couple of them when we were stopped at lights.  I guess even if you grow up in a beautiful place, you may not recognize the beauty if you see it every day.