TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

The well-preserved medieval town centre of Colmar is gorgeous! The city is dubbed as the ‘capital of Alsatian wine’ in the region. When in Alsace, I strongly believe a visit to Colmar is a must, and the only way to enjoy this lovely place is to wander off on its cobble-stone streets and appreciate its fairytale-like architecture. The old town is not so big so getting lost is not really such a bad idea. Go for it! =) Colmar Old Town Website: Colmar Tourism While I was discovering Colmar on foot, I was really mesmerised by the stunning architecture and the well-looked-after picture-perfect environment. Oh wow, it felt like France and Germany just collided in front of me! Are my eyes and ears playing tricks on me? I am seeing German half-timbered framed houses but hearing French spoken on the streets. Help, where am I really? Haha. This feeling of displacement you know was present the whole time during the extended weekend trip in Alsace last April, not just in Colmar. As for ...

Trivia: Did you know that the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty in New York City is a native of Colmar, France? His name is Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi . The statue was a gift from the people of France to the United States of America. Statue of Liberty in Colmar This goes naturally that when you arrive in Colmar, you will also see the Statue of Liberty , but a smaller version and the statue is placed in the middle of a roundabout instead of an island. I learned that there is a replica as well somewhere in Paris, and it was rumoured that the face of the Statue of Liberty is modelled after Bartholdi’s mother. There is a museum dedicated to Bartholdi and to his works in the city. I was tempted to go but I am not really the museum type. I actually go to museums on very rare occasions. Nevertheless, some of Bartholdi’s works are found on the city streets as he designed several fountains in Colmar. Hotel where I stayed in Colmar In Colmar I stayed at the All Season’s Hote...

Last month (April 2013) I did a road trip to the Alsace Wine Region in France. The area is famous for Riesling and Gewurtzraminer (white) wines. What can I say, I fell in love with the place! The whole region is so pretty, amazing, gastronomic and intoxicating! Haha! As the popular slogan goes — drink moderately, if you are in the area =) Alsace Wine Villages Route Map For starters I have here below 2 quick overview maps of the Alsace Wine Route and Villages. As you can see on the right map, there are many villages that fall along the 170-kilometre wine route and all these villages are pretty and welcoming in their own right. Some are bigger while the others are smaller. Because I do not have a week to leisurely explore these lovely places, obviously I have to make a choice, which proved to be quite difficult at first because I wanted to visit them all. On the left map shows a condensed map highlighting the popular villages. Below here, you can find the whole map with the ...

This is the last stop of the Douro River Valley Tour, a visit to a Port vineyard located in Armamar (Viseu district) along the Douro River and Tedo River just before reaching Pinhao. Maria told us that this estate is a very small, single Quinta A classification. Quinta in Portuguese is equivalent to an estate, hacienda or domaine. Wine estate classifications runs from A to F with A being the highest. You can find more information here: Portuguese Quinta Classification  Quinta do Tedo on a much better weather (blue skies!) day. Picture from wiemax.com Quinta do Tedo From my seat in the mini bus (I was sitting in front), I could see Quinta do Tedo coming into view, the estate is perched on top of a hill and is waiting for us. Maria said the views up there are beautiful. I am sure I will not disagree. This part of the Douro River Valley is very peaceful, raw and pure. It was raining when we drove up the private road leading to the estate but when we jumped out of the mini ...