This is the first time I have ever taken a trip by myself for pleasure. I traveled for work for many, many years, but that is just not the same thing at all. I love to travel, but for some odd reason doing it by myself has never been that appealing. Until now.
I used to always think that traveling alone would be quite depressing – that I would catch myself always thinking “I want to share this with someone.” But, the fact is, when traveling alone you can do whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it. It is quite liberating. I also quickly realized that while sharing and making memories with others is a wonderful experience, memories are memories all the same and traveling truly is the best education one can experience. You quickly realize the similarities among us all, rather than dwelling on the differences, which seems to be a common thread in the US right now. There is nothing better than wandering around a medieval town dripping with timbered buildings steeped in history!
I decided to leave Fifi and Bree Bree home this time and take the train to Colmar, a town just two train stops from Strasbourg. For one, I was very interested in learning the culinary specialities of the area as it is very close to Germany, so it is quite different from the cuisines we learn in school indigenous to Paris, Burgundy and Bordeaux. The specialities include spaetzle, flammekeuch (a delightfully thin pizza-like concoction with a light cream topping and onion, lardons, or whatever else you choose that is often shared as a snack), loads of pickled veggies, smoked meats, and lots of lovely pastries, like Kougelhopf, a brioche-like cake usually dotted with almonds and raisins.
Colmar is famous for its Christmas Market, but it is just as charming to visit in February, albeit a bit cold and rainy. While here, I visited the Musee Unterlinden, a former convent that now houses from the 1400’s until the 1960’s. It is a wonderful place to spend a few hours. I also wandered around “Little Venice” and watched a Six Nations rugby match at a local bar and managed to make a few friends. 🙂
I also took a cooking class from a lovely lady named Gene (chez-meme.com), who taught me how to make spaetzle, a traditional tart and Coq a Riesling. I will add these recipes to my website as soon as I have time to type them up!
This trip was pure magic on so many levels. In addition to being a wonderful place to visit, I was once again reminded that I like my own company. I can share these experiences and memories with myself for hopefully years to come. Traveling alone makes you appreciate home all the more, but also appreciate one’s self, which is a wonderful discovery in itself.
