We awoke to find, surprise surprise, it was raining. Poop. It was Saturday and, when we'd looked at the weather forecast a week ago, Saturday was supposed to be when the sun would return. Not so.
Armed with an umbrella, we hit the streets of Eguisheim in search of two things: breakfast and indoor seating. We found a little cafe that was open and ordered their breakfast special, gran cafes with our choice of tart (G had cherry, I had blueberry). It was pretty much like eating pie for breakfast, one of Graham's favorite indulgences. We were both pretty tired and frustrated that the rain was yet again spoiling our plans (i.e. we were in desperate need of that coffee!)
Meanwhile, Isla was expressing herself with her recently-discovered whiny voice. She's started making CONSTANT noises when we are eating, which has proven to be an extreme test of both of our patience. It wouldn't be so bad if she were babbling happily but it really does sound like she's complaining and if you don't keep a continuous flow of food shoveled into her mouth, the sounds only get louder. She continues to whine even when given a bite of food, it just turns into a closed-mouth-humm-whine.
Her serenade lasted almost 30 straight minutes at this particular breakfast. Thankfully, the neighboring tables seemed more entertained than annoyed (we haven't always been so lucky). This led Graham to say some appreciative words that I so needed to hear: "I don't know how you do it! I don't think I could do this everyday." Well, it certainly isn't always like this but I agreed that it is quite challenging when I am having an "off" day (like I was on this day) and am short on patience. We made amends with the situation by ordering more coffee, this time espressos.
Isla was in need of a nap and we wanted to see a couple sites so we opted to go for a drive. We made it to the oober cute village of Riquewihr. Next time we come to this region, I'd like to spend more time there.
It seemed a bit more touristy, peppered with shops and little restaurants. We indulged in a cheese pretzel and determined it was the best pretzel we'd ever eaten. Isla concurred and demanded her share when she saw that we were eating and she was not. We stopped at a cellar to try the area's famous Cremant d'Alsace (a sparkling wine).
We drove back to Colmar to grab a bite of lunch and get in line for the concert. We found a fun patisserie and ordered a tomato quiche and a puff pastry stuffed with meat (poultry maybe?) The ladies working there loved Isla and we had a "conversation" with them. It's amazing how much communication can actually taken place despite a language barrier. We ate standing up in the shop. Graham was busy paying at the counter when things got interesting....A group of college-aged looking boys entered, carrying a video camera. One of the guys was dresses as superman. I'm not sure if it was a scavenger hunt, bachelor party or what, but they approached me, hooting and hollering a talking loudly in French. They held out a basket to me that was filled with stick-on tattoos and condoms. I tried to get rid of them by saying "English, English" and shaking my head but of course that didn't deter them. I'm not quite sure, but I'm pretty sure they wanted me to pick a body part and affix a tattoo on Mr. Superman because they pointed to the tattoo and then at his face, arm etc. Then, out of nowhere, he lifts up his cape to reveal his exposed butt cheek as another option. Meanwhile, oblivious Graham was still paying at the counter. I tried to get his attention in my most stern voice "Graham! I need you over here!!!" I didn't know what else to do to get these guys to leave me alone. Finally they gave up and ran out but not before capturing my beet red face on camera. I'm sure if you do a search on You Tube, you can find the footage...
We quickly ate our dessert quickly, a Chocolat Boule (a small, round, ball of layered cake and meringue, covered with a delicious fudgey chocolate sauce) and then headed to the church to get in line for the concert.
Graham bounced Isla in the front pack to try to facilitate a quick nap in hopes that (miraculously!) she would refrain from her constant hum whine during the concert. Oh I am SOOO glad we happened on this concert as it was certainly a trip highlight. I have never heard music more beautiful. And to be in such a beautiful cathedral, surrounded by stained glass, with gothic-style arches high above us.
The acoustics were incredible and no microphones were used. I'm not sure if I've ever been to a boys choir concert before but Graham enlightened me that we probably heard at least five choirs in different combinations. The younger boys sang the soprano parts (man can they sing high!) and then older men/college-aged boys sang bass and tenor. There were some amazingly rich and unusual chords. The director was a grand woman, wearing a poofy red taffeta ballgown.
Isla did so well. She listened silently to the music and then, when she started to get ancy toward the very end, I handed her chunks of baguette that I'd snuck in to munch on. At one point, I looked over at Graham and we were both tearing up while Miss Isla sat there chomping away on her hunk of bread.
For the grand finale, another choir, that had been sitting in the audience, joined the men on the stage. There must have been at least 150 or more in total. They performed "Praise to the Lord the Almighty..." accompanied by brass and organ. The volume of the piece gave me goosebumps. If ever I heard a song of praise to God, it was this!!! The director had her arms fully raised and was swinging them around in a way I'd never seen before. The piece was in French but I knew what they were singing.
Graham and I stood in the back, each with an arm around the other, listening, again with tears in our eyes. I won't ever be able to describe this experience in a way that does it justice. I will certainly never forget it. I had anticipated hearing beautiful music but ended up having a rich time of worship. WOW!
We returned to Eguisheim and ate at our hotel's restaurant. I'd loved my chicken and spaetzle dish so much that I decided to order it again. Graham saw a plate of steak with cream sauce at a neighboring table and wanted it. We ordered Edelzheiter to share. Graham's steak arrived sauce-less and he was quite disappointed. He was understandably tired of not knowing what he was ordering so I ended up trading meals with him. I wasn't nearly as impressed by our hotel's cooking but my opinion might have been dampened by a very vocal Isla who again tested our patience with constant fussing. She was tired and had messy pants (she'd been sticking to her every other dinner routine) so I took her upstairs to get ready for bed.
As we've traveled around, we've noticed that most everyone has been quite charmed by and interactive with Isla, with the exception of the Germans that is (sorry Tash!) I'm not sure what it is but the very few times we were given a disdainful look when entering a restaurant Isla, it came from German-speakers. I'm not sure what that's about...maybe it's a fluke?
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