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I confess it's been several years since I've visited Berlin but after spending a week in Munich I'm sold on the South.
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Riquewihr, is it French or is it German? I'll be honest, I don't know much about this town, due to the fact only 4 hours were spent there. None the less, this village in the Alsace region of France is straight out of a story book. For real, I have the storybook, My Village, illustrated and written by Hansi. I have yet to finish reading the storybook, although it is a picture book, there are 35 pages, all with lots of words. Too much for bedtime.
What I do know is the Alsace region was occupied by the germans during WWI. Hansi, is an artist local to Alsace and is famous for his political cartoons and drawings of traditional dressed children for that time period. Although is drawings are colorful and playful, they are politically loaded and with the small bit of Alsace history one can pick up on where Hansi stood.
In Riquewihr there is a musuem that houses an impressive body of his work. For 2 euro, it is a must see. His styles and medium varies but his skill remains flawless.
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People who go on trips are categorized into two groups: tourists and travelers. When you find yourself looking for a supermarket or a drugstore because you ran out of shampoo, or you are elated that your hotel/hostel has a clothes line, that's when you have moved into group 2. You are a traveler. One group isn't better than the other although some may disagree, they are just different modes for seeing the world.
I recently came to the reality that I am no longer traveling. My toothbrush I purchased in France has officially expired. My pink Donto Dent is totaled, it's through. Maybe it's silly but each brush took me back to the simplicity of traveling where my biggest concerns were, "Will I find a bed?" or, "Is it acceptable to have gelato again today?" My self-consciousness of having gelato twice in one day was short lived.
At the beginning of a trip most people are tourists. I was. I had packed everything for all types of weather, occasions, and all precautions taken so nothing could hinge on my health. This was for for the first week but I ended up leaving half of my belongings in Bath. The TravelLodge maid had an early Christmas.
Once you have reached the point of your trip where you run out of life's neccesities that's when the adventure has truly begun. Other than trying different gelato combinations, I thoroughly enjoyed European drugstores. Everything is so cool! Laundry detergent, toothpaste, soap, lotion; I saw it in a whole new light and in this light it was much more desireable than back at home. One reason was the hunt and feeling that sense of victory, "Yes, I found it! I overcame the language barrier and I will have clean clothes tonight!"(And yes I am the person who was the most excited about the clothesline out the window of the hostel in the Cinque Terre...what about it.)
Although my Donto Dent has been replace by a snazzy green Colgate, I still have the Balea body cream from Bern. So this traveler's bliss is not over yet.
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this is what I saw...
someone's perfectly constructed woodpile
cows snacking on grass
...spring bringing new life
fields of dandelions...
and then I saw Kandern.
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If you google "Kandern" the tourist website pops up, some paintings by August Macke, and then mostly information on the Black Forest Academy. My reason for making a stop in this small German village was to visit friends. My friends live in an old factory on the edge of town and are in the process of transforming it into appartments, art studios, gallery space, and a cafè. It is the Art Factory and it's an exciting project in the works. A cute village with an open market on Saturdays, a few restaraunts, and a stop at the Eis Cafè is a must. I just hiked, caught up with my friends, hunted through french flea markets, and french side trips. It was the perfect few days to rest up for adventures ahead.
If you are curious and want to stay off the beaten track there is a hostel outside of town and a handful of hotels in town. See here for a few accomodation options.
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School Field Trip in front of Munster Cathedral
Ahead is Zytglogge Zeitglockentrum...or the Clock Tower
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