Colmar

This morning, we walked to the toy store in the Altstadt so Elias could buy the handcuffs he's been coveting since we first saw them three weeks ago, when we were staying in Waltershofen and it was inconvenient to load up on Stuff. For three weeks, we've been telling him not to worry, there isn't going to be a sudden run on handcuffs, they'll still be there--and what do you know, they sold out yesterday. The very charming shopkeeper took down Elias's name and promised to set aside a pair for him when the next cuff shipment comes in on Monday.

We then meandered over to the Gummibaer specialty store, across from the Muenster, where the serious Gummibaer connoisseurs and tourists shop, and thus began our new vice. We went for the vegetarian Bearle, of course; for the carnivores, flavors include prosecco, chilli pepper, licorice, coffee ("with caffeine"), and red wine.

This afternoon, we visited Colmar, across the Rhine in France. The third largest city in Elsass (Alsace), Colmar survived WWII with little damage. Fortunately, it also survived an urban planning effort in the 1960s to demolish some of the older parts of town, and the city center, with the photogenic "petite Venise" ("little Venice"), is now a popular tourist destination. Colmar was settled by the 9th century and granted Stadtrecht (city rights) in 1214; its oldest remaining house dates from 1350. I look forward to setting my camera-wielding parents loose in Colmar this fall, as there are photo ops around every corner.