blog entry

26 March 2010




On Friday, we prepared to drive back into the mountains to view an ancient medieval castle. Unfortunately, it was very cold, and windy, and was our first taste of poor weather in France. We visited the Castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg, which dates back to 1147, and at one point was owned by the Hapsburg Royal Family, and then Kaiser Wilhelm II. In 1633, the castle was placed under siege and overrun in the Thirty Years' War. It was classified as a monument in 1862.



The castle was very large and beautiful, and it took quite a while for the tour. The rain pouring in through the cracks and the wind coming in through the castle windows, which true to the period did not have any glass, enhanced our experience of the conditions of medieval life. Seeing the way the upper class of medieval society lived was fascinating.



After our tour, we drove to a village called Colmar, also known as Petite Venice. The buildings and landscapes were all very traditional provincial France, and it is one of the most advertised areas of France. We took a mini-tram ride through the streets of Colmar, followed by splitting into smaller groups for lunch and a bit of shopping. After lunch, we drove to the Museum Unterlinden to see the exhibit of medieval iconography and paintings. Our tour was quite enjoyable, and the art was beautiful.