I got up and took my turn in the bathroom first as usual but Jayné hadn’t slept well and was too sick to get out of bed.  I went out to explore on my own.  It was lightly raining but I was dry under the shelter of my umbrella.  I loved the freedom of going wherever I wanted and not waiting for anyone but myself!  The cobblestones had been worn smooth over five centuries and were slick from the rain.  I walked carefully so as not to fall and looked for shops I could go inside.  I found a news shop where I took my time browsing the books.  I eventually bought a tourists picture book of Alsace with captions in three languages and a couple of traditional recipe books which were all written in French and would take some deciphering.  They were full of recipes such as choucroute, kougelhopf and galettes de pommes de terre. 

            From there I went back to the Monoprix and bought vitamins – I did not want Jayné to get me sick!  I also had fun searching for hairspray which I was running low on.  I guess the French women don’t use much hairspray because I really had trouble finding it.  It was so unlike America which has entire aisles of hairspray of all different brands in giant bottles.  There were plenty of shampoos and other body products but not much in the way of hair styling products.  Plus, I was not sure of the French word for hairspray, maybe that’s why it was so hard to find.  At last I found it.  It was called laque and I bought a perfectly tiny bottle that would fit nicely in my suitcase.  Then it was off to the beer aisle to search for a locally brewed beer.  I picked out an Alsatian amber brewed with spices for us to try later.

            I stopped back by the apartment to drop off my purchases so I could continue to explore unencumbered.  Unbolting the door as quietly as I could, I tiptoed in to the sound of Jayné’s deep rhythmic breathing.  I slipped the beer in the fridge to chill down and noticed our Munster cheese we had bought.  The smell had quickly cleared out of the fridge yesterday when the compressor began to run.  Maybe we would eat it with our beer for lunch later.  Back out on the streets I looked in small antique and souvenir shops and shops selling Alsatian handcrafted wares.  I ended up down by the charming canals of petite venise (little Venice).  I could only imagine how much more incredible it would be in the summertime with the sunshine brightening the colors of the buildings, the gondolas running, the window boxes brimming with flowers and people sitting outdoors at the sidewalk cafes and restaurants.  But it was all quiet now and although I missed seeing Colmar in all its splendor I was not sorry to avoid all the crowds of tourists who flock here in summertime.  It was nice to have the streets to myself and to ponder things in peace and quiet.

            It was market day and I unknowingly stumbled upon the market building.  I wandered the stalls, wishing I was a local and could have a reason to buy some of the tasty looking vegetables and products offered.  When I came upon the honey vendor I stopped and looked over his honey.  Now here was a product I could buy.  He had honey of all shades from a light golden to dark brown and everything in between.  Antoine Muller was a jovial man who spoke a very decent amount of English.  He at first thought I was English, as they all did, but I informed him I was American.  We chatted and he asked questions about where I was from.  I had a hard time deciding which of the delectable looking honeys I should buy and since he wholeheartedly recommended the miel toutes fleurs (mixed flowers) I bought that one. 

            There were a few vendors who were selling prepared foods so I bought a slice of quiche Loraine and a meat filled pastry for Jayné and I to heat up for lunch.  At noon the shops were all closing so I made my way back to our apartment to see how Jayné was doing.  Opening the fridge I again saw the Munster cheese but it just didn’t sound appealing so I got out the Alsatian beer and poured it into two tall drinking glasses.  It had a nice foamy head and was very good.  While we ate our lunch of warm savory pastries and cold beer we wrote postcards to our friends and family.  The shops didn’t open again until 2 p.m. so we had no need to hurry, but as soon as two rolled around we were back out on the streets and I was eager to show Jayné all that I had discovered that morning.

            I took Jayné to some shops that I knew she would love and we tried to go back to the farmer’s market but it was all closed down now and everyone was gone.  We went back to petite venise and explored the length of the canals.  The streets of Colmar were narrow and twisty and didn’t follow any kind of pattern or grid.  We wandered around the crooked streets, wanting to explore them all, and just when we thought we had seen them all we would turn the corner and discover a new little street filled with shops.  “I don’t recognize this street!  Have we been down it?”  We’d say to each other.  I had a map in my pocket but we didn’t use it.  It was more fun to loose ourselves among the crooked streets and see if we could find our way back. 

            We found a liquor store where Jayné bought a bottle of Armanac for Ty.  I wanted to get something special too and I was looking over the Eau de Vie.  I was curious if the framboise really tasted like raspberries and was trying to communicate this question to the proprietor.  I didn’t know how to ask this in French so I just asked in English and pointed to my mouth and then the label of the bottle where it said framboise as I asked.  She misunderstood me and thought I was asking if I could taste it.  Explaining that she didn’t have that exact bottle open, but a similar brand, she bustled off to the back room and returned with a bottle and two glasses in which she poured us very generous samples.  (Who says miscommunication is a bad thing?)  I purchased a bottle. 

            We went to the post office to get stamps for our postcards and to a tea shop we had seen yesterday on our way to the train station.  We searched through antique and second hand shops for little white teacups but could not find any.  We went into every souvenir shop no matter how cheesy it looked and by dinnertime we ended up back at le Palais de Legends.  This time I ordered a tarte flambée (which is basically a pizza) with ham and Munster cheese and the chocolate mousse for dessert.  When we were done eating we headed over to Café Leffe to get a beer.  There was one more on their menu we were dying to try.  But when we got there it was almost 8:30 and they were closed!  I can’t express how deep my disappointment was, for now we would never get to try it.  Our time in Colmar was up and our train was leaving really early in the morning.  Dejected, we went back to our apartment and busied ourselves with the arduous task of packing our suitcases.