Oh, Colmar! You are such a foodie paradise during Christmastime, and I love you for it…read more After reading about the world's best Christmas Markets, we decided to make an overnight stop in Colmar, specifically for their special Gourmand Christmas Market. This is a city that's not only absolutely show-stoppingly gorgeous and oozing with charm, but their many markets are 100% legit. Note that it is crowded here, ridiculously so. Colmar is popular for good reason, but be ready to shove elbow-to-elbow and pay exorbitant rates for hotels during December (and especially on weekends). There are so many markets here, it's hard to cover them all! My favorite was probably the Le Marchee Gourmand, which is a large tent with a dozen or so food stalls underneath. Large communal tables (standing only) means making new friends. The prices at the markets here are expensive, but I understand with the high volume of tourists they get. See my photos for examples of the food items on offer and their prices. From oysters to escargot, stinky cheese to handmade pasta, you'll find it here. There's also tons of local wine, and the pours are more than generous! There are a handful of fun rides, including a Dumbo-like ride where you can fly your own reindeer powered "sleigh." I saw that and screamed at first sight, and I kept screaming until my hubby bought me a ticket to ride, ha ha. I did have a major disappointment in the Colmar markets, though, and it's a big one (even if it sounds petty). They don't have ceramic market mugs. The Christmas Market mugs are just flimsy plastic cups, and they aren't great souvenirs. I certainly would not want to take one home. One of the joys for me is collecting the different ceramic mugs in the different cities and towns, and the lack of one in Colmar proved to be a major disappointment for me. Colmar is so charming that I still highly recommend its Christmas Markets. There's something for everyone here, and I swear just walking around town had us stumbling upon yet another small market.

My mom wanted to take my five-year-old to the Christmas markets in France, and I had the brilliant…read moreidea of joining her with my three-year-old, mostly to spare him from FOMO. The trip was ambitious, short and difficult, and I'm not sure my kids enjoyed it more than they would have, say, Solvang or Anaheim. But enjoy it they did, and I for one will forever remember our day in Colmar. The city is small and charming, and for one month a year, the historic old-town area turns into a magical Christmas village, with six Christmas markets that more or less connect to one another in a walkable circuit. Part of this area, called La Petite Venise, is crossed by canals, all very scenic. We went on a Saturday in December, and the entire zone was flooded with tourists. The streets were crowded and restaurants were booked; the hotel we stayed at was exorbitantly priced. The crush of people was a bit overwhelming at first, especially in the narrower streets. I got used to it, though, and found the markets easy enough to navigate. There was a helpful map of the markets, and everything was close together. We weren't there to eat, but there was food and drink everywhere. Hot wine and hot chestnuts and various Alsatian specialties. My three-year-old found a cookie shop and shamelessly solicited and received a few samples. The kids were more interested in the carnival rides interspersed throughout the markets. There was a very cute rotating sleigh ride with reindeer and a great little ferris wheel, where we took in some beautiful views. The boys also enjoyed a janky-looking baby train ride with a confusion of cobbled together vehicles and trademarked characters and, of course, Christmas lights. All the rides were individually ticketed, and we gladly paid for them, as we were there to entertain the children. We shopped less than I'd anticipated, since I actually do love Christmas ornaments and other Christmas kitsch. Though the booths at the markets were enchanting as a whole, the stuff they were selling wasn't anything special. My kids got gloves that were made in China, and I got the sense that most of the merchandise available wasn't specific to the region. I did get a nice pair of Labonal socks, which are made in France, but the only other shopping we did was at a few of the brick and mortar stores. There was an artisan market, where I think there were more unique goods for sale, but it was indoors and there was a long line to get in. Not worth the trouble with two small children and a giant stroller. The best thing about the markets was the town itself, the lovely streets and buildings all decked out for Christmas. Colmar was pretty during the day and even prettier after dark, when the lights turned on. I'm glad we got to see it, despite the ridiculous amount of hassle. My mom got to check off an item on her bucket list, and the kids had an absolute blast.

It is amazing to finally get to experience a concentration camp museum and see some of the actual…read moreareas that caused so much hurt and deaths. So much of what we learn is only from stories. Be aware, if you visit here it is sad and hearbreaking. But the stories must be told so it is not forgotten and never repeated. We arrived on a rainy weekday morning. The staff was pleasant and sold us a 2€ book in English. No tour or audio is available in English though. Many groups were participating in large group tours in French and German though. High school aged students by the bus load were there that morning and it was quite awful how loud they were. Unfortunately, despite the signs to respect the silence of the place, they were laughing, talking, and sitting on stairs/ hanging around doors blocking other visitors for the two hours we were there. Despite the uncontrolled tour groups, the museum had written information in English with details of the WWII military as well as the victims. The best part I believe was the story walk by the ticket counter. The information was provided of this concentration camp as well as others across Europe. The computer screens were available in German/French/English with maps, sats, and stories of people impacted at each concentration camp. Downstairs the history of the war was in great detail both by pictures and by the info cards on the wall. The concentration camp walk was eye opening outside, especially the jail. Quite aweful but sobering. I suggest driving to the gas chamber (used for medical experiments) when you leave, rather than walk. It is quite far and muddy if it rains and not much to see. Please do visit here. You will be greatly impacted. Hopefully the staff will encourage guests to be more respectful in future visits so more people can experience the somber message of this and all concentration camps.

we visited this Nazi concentration camp -- where over 50% of inmates died due to Nazi tyranny--…read morewhen we were in Alsace last year. There's still a lot of the original camp including the guard towers, gate, electric fence, incinerator, torture rooms, prison cells, as well as a good photo and artifacts exhibit (most labels in French though, but it didn't take much to figure out what it was). Also a more formal museum and some memorials and drawings and stories by survivors. Well worth visiting if a Nazi concentration camp is on your bucket list and you're not up to Dachau, Aushwitz or Bergen-Belsen or the other larger death camps. You'll tank up your WW2 knowledge base just by seeing where this is and learning the stories of the victims which includes French Resistance members, anti-Reich saboteurs, and the subjects of Dr. Hirt (seriously!)'s medical research. We spent about 3 hours here at this off-the-beaten track location; and highly recommend it for personal edification.

From the owner: Der RetroGames e.V. beherbergt in Karlsruhe in der Schauenburgstraße 5 die älteste öffentliche…read moreAusstellung für Videospielautomaten in Deutschland. Neben klassischen Arcade-Automaten der 70er und 80er Jahre, wie Donkey Kong und Pac-Man, findet man dort auch Flipper, Homecomputer und Videospielkonsolen. Wer 50 Jahre Videospielgeschichte live erleben möchte, ist bei RetroGames e.V. genau richtig. Anfassen ist ausdrücklich erlaubt und so können alle, der über 100 Exponate ausprobiert und gespielt werden. Alle Automaten funktionieren ohne Münzeinwurf ... ein großer Spaß für die ganze Familie!

From the owner: Un magnifique aquarium Ce jardin est fait d'allées sinueuses qui serpentent autour des bassins, des…read morerosiers et des collections de plantes très prisées au début du siècle, qui permettent de retrouver l'ambiance de "l'Ecole de Nancy". Il possède un aquarium classé monument historique.

I was recently on a tour of Austria, German and Switzerland, when we got to the Black Forest, the…read moreweather was not cooperating, we had been touring and the weather had been hot and since I've still been having issues with my back and knee and since I heard the area was well known for it's thermal baths, I asked about Badeparadies and OMG!! it was awesome, it was only a half mile walk from our hotel Bruggers and when we got there I wanted to cry, the lines were so long it didn't look like we would get in, an announcement had been made in German that they couldn't allow anyone in until some people exited the park, my roommate asked one of the cashiers and she asked if we had kids, which we didn't and she told us we could come into the Palm area, you get a cool wrist band which is electronic, and on it is the locker number, with the band you can lock and unlock your locker, very SECRET SERVICE MAN, LOL...once we changed we into our suits we stepped into NIRVANA..again, OMG...you walk into what looks like a giant green house with beautiful palm trees and orchids planted throughout, it was so beautiful, you could see the sky (cloudy and rainy as it was and in the upper 50's!) and at the end of the 'green house' was a revolving door in the water where you could swim to the outside steaming pool and Jacuzzi, I thought I'd freeze going out there but OMG..it felt so good, once I stepped into the pool I swear you could hear my big sigh of pleasure and relief all the way to the states!! The water was warm and it was fresh water...sitting in the Jacuzzi and swirling waters felt wonderful to my sore battered tourist body...it was 16 Euros for an hour and a half and it was sufficient, any time over 15 minutes was an additional Euro (and well worth it, LOL) once we got back to the hotel we found out that free entry was included with the City Card we had received so roomie and I headed off the following night once again, we got there around 8 and stayed until they closed, different crowd and much less crowded. There is a swim up bar and you can use that cool wrist bracelet to pay for your drinks, you cash out once you are leaving the facility. I wholeheartedly recommend it. The Galaxie park is a water park and that was the one with the lines out the door, and there is another section called Wellness with saunas and the like, you can get a combo ticket and oh yeah, the Wellness park is 'textile free', they are currently adding on to the facility, definitely a place to relax on your trip to the Lake Titisee area!

split into 3 parts, sauna, therme, and waterpark currently…read moreadding on to sauna and waterpark, should be done in spring 2016. will probably be the best therme in baden-wurttemburg when complete.

This place is simply amazing. It's literally a collection of all kinds of Black Forest homes that…read morehave all be relocated to this very site for touring. My wife, who studied historic preservation, said it's the best museum she's probably ever seen. We spent hours here looking around and would absolutely come back again.

If you've never been to a German Freilichtmuesum, they are essentially a collection of historic…read morebuilding brought together to give visitors an idea of everyday life in bygone times. This Freilichtmuseum situate in the Gutach valley is designed to give you a glimpse into life in the Black Forest during the late Middle Ages. The collection of local houses and other structures is an interesting window into earlier times. The tour that we took was informative in helping us understand the life of ordinary people then. One unpleasant aspect was the amount of cheap tourist shops surrounding the museum. There wasn't much authentic about this consumerist aspect. I will say though that this type of museum is not for everyone. If you're of school age or just love history, this is a great place to spend an hour or two. If not, it would probably be more interesting to spend your day somewhere else in this gorgeous region.

The botanical garden (French: Jardin botanique) is great. It is often considered to be an oasis of…read morereflection and silence. The botanical garden is located in the city center. But don't be afraid. There's no street with a lot of traffic. In contrast, it is quite silent and romantic. I recommend you to admire the different kinds of flowers and plants. They are said to be imported from countries all over the world. Apart of taking long walks, it's quite fun sitting on a bank observing the walkers or the playing children. If you like drinking a cup of tea or coffee, there're various coffee shops. Of course, you shouldn't forget to taste the Alsatian specialities.

I was there in the beginning of May and the place didn't have too many interesting things to see. I…read moreguess it is better to come in June....

This was a very cute museum. With a Many interesting facts from toys throughout the years. It was…read morenice that they had some binders full of English explanation as well They also have a puppet show in French just ask the front desk for the times when it runs. The only thing that was annoying was at 10 minutes before the museum close they asked us to leave. Plus 10 minutes before that they were already turning off lights and such. When we pay for a ticket it's only fair that we get to stay till the closing time.

This museum has an extensive collection of toys over three floors. On the top is model trains. The…read moresecond floor is devoted to dolls and the first floor has vintage toys through the eras. The temporary exhibit on toy aviation was great too! Lots of Legos and Playmobils. Tons of places for kids yo play or create! Great family museum with something for everyone.