Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr Christmas Market

One of the highlights of our trip to the Alsace back in 2016 was a day trip to Euguisheim, one of the charming wine villages between Colmar and Strasbourg. I was excited to see some more of these medieval wine towns. I learned that nearby Riquewihr was having the last day of their Christmas market. We made a day of visiting first Ribeauville and then Riquewihr. Our plans to take public transport were foiled by crowds and a packed bus. The boys ended up driving our car and the girls found an uber after a long wait. 

Finally, we were reunited in Ribeauville and ran off some energy at the great town playground before exploring. 

The ruins of a 13th-century castle were on full display. NBD. 

We searched high and low for a cozy, classic French spot for lunch, that had food that would appeal to Maeve. Too tall of an order. We ended up at a cafe that served excellent local wine. 

We got to what seemed like the end of this charming town and then saw a sign indicating the way to the "Picturesque Quarter." Had to check that out! 

Picturesque indeed! 

These cool photo exhibit signs were all over. 

As we were heading out of town, we saw that there was free gluhwein, hot chocolate, and cookies in the main square and that Santa would soon be coming for photos. The kids weren't interested in waiting around, but luckily we saw the big man as he rode in his horse-drawn carriage into town. I yelled after him, "Santa, Santa! I know him!" to the utter embarassment of the kids. 

We squeezed in the Volvo for the 10-minute drive over to Riquewihr. It was a popular spot with the Christmas market ending, so the boys dropped us off while Krista and I got wine from a French man who was unamused with our attempts at French. 

The vineyards were visible on the hills surrounding town. 

Pete joked with Addy that kids in France were allowed to drink wine. She was skeptical. We did let Jude try a sip and thankfully he didn't like it (unlike when he was a toddler in Croatia and wanted more of the homemade liqueur we let him try!)

Luckily, Krista and I successfully caught the local bus back to Colmar while the guys drove the kids. A fun day out!