On Tuesday, we were blessed with more sunshine, although the weather was still pretty chilly. After another breakfast starring Ribeauville’s flakiest croissants, we headed south toward Eguisheim. Bill and I last visited there in February 2017, the trip Parker was supposed to join us on, but missed due to a sudden injury. That trip in 2017 was followed by a few days in Burgundy, and remains one of my favorite France jaunts to date. One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was because of the lunch we had at Caveau Heuhaus in Eguisheim, where I enjoyed creme brûlée lit at the table.
As it turned out, Caveau Heuhaus was one of the few restaurants open in Eguisheim during our visit on Tuesday. So, after we strolled around the old city, which is notable for being a well-preserved medieval village that consists of concentric streets, and visited a couple of churches where Bill had a good cry (sometimes churches move him to tears), we stopped by very gay friendly Caveau Heuhaus for lunch. Here are some photos from before our fantastic midday repast.
Decorations were coming down on Tuesday… 
Calw’s flag. We’ve been there. 
A handy map of the town. 
One of the concentric streets of Eguisheim… land of good wine. 
I enjoyed this church, not so much because it was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen… 
but because ethereal music was playing, adding to the ambiance. 
Bill was affected too. He was positively misty-eyed. 
These are all around the town and have information in German, French, and English. You can also scan for info. 
We passed this cool old car on the way to the chapel… 
Again, lovely music in the chapel… 
This was a lot more ornate than the church was… 
But Bill wasn’t as moved by it. 
It was a nice place to stop and reflect for a few moments… and check email. 
We headed to the restaurant after we visited the churches, where we were looked after by a very professional, friendly, English speaking waiter. He seemed to be handling the whole dining room himself and Bill said he remembered him from our visit in February 2017, too, although that time, we had a female server. Bill had a gratin made with the stinky local cheese, Munster. He said it was amazing, though to me, it smelled a bit like ass. Parker had the baeckeoffe (baker’s oven), a casserole popular in Alsace. It typically includes a mix of sliced potatoes, sliced onions, cubed mutton, beef, and pork which have been marinated overnight in Alsatian white wine and juniper berries and slow-cooked in a bread-dough sealed ceramic casserole dish. I went with potato pancakes and salad.
Very gay friendly place! 
And the menu… it’s small, but good. 
Cute dining room. 
I hope they don’t try to dust all of that stuff. 
Bill’s gratin… he said it was delicious, and since it was loaded with potatoes and bacon, it probably was… but I can’t abide stinky cheese. 
Parker’s casserole. She was it was good, but very filling! 
I was happy with my vegetarian selection! 
We washed lunch down with a lovely local Riesling… I have come to love Rieslings, as long as they come from these parts. 
Bill had a lava cake for dessert… I had ice cream with Bailey’s… and see the video below for Parker’s choice! 
Then I had cognac while Parker had coffee. 
Love this little place!
After lunch, we took a leisurely stroll back to the parking lot, which has a very clean, well appointed public toilet that costs nothing to use. Germans should take note, although the Germans very kindly offer their Autobahn for free (for now, anyway).
God love the French for recognizing that when you gotta go, you gotta go!
Our next stop was Colmar, a lovely city that Bill and I visited for the first time in October 2014. Unfortunately, that was a place where I was asked a very embarrassing question in a restaurant. We hadn’t been back to Colmar since that visit for Columbus Day weekend in 2014. It was good to be back, if only to see Little Venice and allow Parker the chance to pick up some gifts for her friends back home in Texas. Here are quite a few photos from our brief visit. I actually learned something new during our couple of hours in Colmar. As I walked around the town, I noticed a lot of references to the Statue of Liberty. It turns out that Colmar is where the sculptor, Auguste Bartholdi, was born. We could have and should have spent more time in Colmar, so I could erase that memory of being asked if I was pregnant by an obtuse waiter back in 2014.
Look carefully, and you’ll see a tank… 
A mime. 
I got a shot of this same chapellerie in 2014. I did a better job capturing the moment, though. 
Ditto with this shot… much prettier in 2014! 
These were all over the place. 
Another cock on display! 
Not sure about those gondolas. 
Little Venice. 
A very highly esteemed restaurant with equally high prices! 
A delightful indoor food market… 
We came home with some delightful honey from here. 
Keeping me dry since 40 years? 
A view of the cathedral while using the public WC. 
Lady Liberty shows us her ass on the way out of town… 
I was a little sad, realizing that we’d be leaving Alsace yesterday… but I was missing Arran and ready to do some writing. We spent our last night in Ribeauville drinking wine and watching Dirty Dancing on Netflix. Since MIL was a competitive ballroom dancer back in the day, it was a fun movie to watch with her. But it also made me feel ancient, since I was 15 years old when it came out, and I am over three times that old now. 🙁 Time flies!