We'll leave Colmar today
so after a quick breakfast based on toasts with butter and jam and different varieties of flavored tea
we say goodbye to Renaud's peculiar apartment
and we head towards our next destination
At the northern exit of Colmar we are seen off by the statue of liberty
that was built on this roundabout in 2004 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its creator Bartholdi's death
Today we'll visit Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle in Orschwiller
so, after parking our car, we climb a steep road until we get to its outer walls
The castle, which inspired the director Hayao Miyazaki for his "Moving Castle",
was built in the 12th century
and after being damaged several times
we can see it today as it was when it was restored in the early 1900s
even if it preserved its structure as a Medieval fortress
with towers, bastions and double walls
It's time to visit the interior of the fortress and so, after buying the tickets,
we walk towards the entrance to begin our tour
And there's even a theatralized guided tour for those who wish to have one,
with guides/actors in Medieval costumes that take you back in time
Inside the castle, after walking through a room with a dragon that looks at us from the ceiling
we get to the hunting trophies room
where there's a display of all the antlers of the poor deer
that were killed in the woods of this region
and that have become nothing more than extra ramifications of the plants painted on the walls
This ram had the same destiny and now its skull is an original lamp
while this boar's head didn't inspire particularly creative handicrafts works
In the weapons room, which is particularly crowded right now, there's a display of many types of halberds
armor
crossbows
and swords
While a guide in costume is taking care of a group of children
We move on to one of the towers of the great bastion
from whose embrasures you can have a beautiful view of the external areas of the castle
and a wonderful view of the Vosges Mountains and the plain
Inside the tower, instead, there's an exhibition of cannons reproductions
that show the evolution of artillery from the 15th to the 17th century
and it's this section of the castle that Enea is particularly excited about
jumping from cannon to cannon like a bee in a meadow
And at the exit of the castle, still in character as a soldier of the king,
Enea wears a suit of armor
to fight a big green dragon
and show him who's the meanest of the two
After our visit to the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg
we can't avoid but go through its little wood to go back to the car
because Enea, who apparently aspires to become a mountaineer
needs to hone his climbing techniques
After reaching the top, his mission is accomplished and we can go back to the car to hit the road again
And since we're all quite hungry
we decide to stop in another village along the wine road
We're in Kintzheim
to eat something
We spotted a pizza place, so...
- La Felicità (The happiness) - The pizza place is called "La Felicità". I hope it will make us happy
It looks like there's a cheap menu combination for 11 euros on workdays
Let's go check what it's all about
It seems that it's mostly workers and employees who come here on lunch break
besides some occasional tourists like us
And actually the waitresses take care of their usual customers first
and we end up waiting more than expected, while our hunger keeps growing
We are really unhappy because the waiters are not coming to take our order
Enea keeps whining because he's very hungry...
But when all hopes seem lost, we finally get to order
and they bring us pizzas for Enea and Barbara
and the dishes from the set menu for Marco and me whose appetizer consists of a goat cheese quiche and salad
the main dish is a slightly overcooked pasta but with a delicious stew
It's plain pasta with beef
Good
And for dessert, a slice of delicious apple pie
while Enea takes a lemon ice-cream that is maybe one of the best I've ever tasted
And now that we are full and satisfied
we can continue our journey towards the next destination of the day
Monkey Mountain park
Yes, because there are monkeys too in Alsace, besides storks
even though the monkeys have been... imported from North Africa
Where are we now ?
We're going to see the monkey
And where are they ?
On the mountain
And where is the mountain ?
On the mountain
So we buy the tickets and we go towards the entrance
where we get in line to get a handful of popcorn
the only type of food that can be given to the monkeys
and where the park attendants give us a list of basic rules to follow
Hide the rest of the popcorn like this
so don't put it in your pockets or bags
Please, leave the popcorn that's on the ground
Don't eat or smoke inside the park, please
Children must be under your supervision all the time
so no shouting and no running
Always hold the youngest ones by the hand
Our staff is available for any question
Always keep a safety distance
of at least one meter between you and the monkey
The first monkey we see is sleeping
just like a mother and her little one are sleeping in the shade by a puddle
but a few meters away there's one who is awake, hungry and craving popcorn
and that generous Enea feeds with a handful of it
One piece at a time, Enea. You should give them one at a time.
These macaques, also known as magots
are organized in a hierarchical society
well... then this monkey sitting as if on a throne... is it maybe the queen ?
This monkey is instead sitting as if on a bench in the park
and is waiting for the passers-by to offer him some popcorn
He's so funny in this position
that I decide to give him almost all the popcorn I have at my disposal
His fingers are like clawed
- Are you done ? - Wait, I want to give him one more
Carmine, what about her ?
Enea, take it. Give him one.
- I already have - One more
Wait for him to...
What about her ?
- That one over there ? - She doesn't want it
The last one
Bye !
One could think that there are only macaques to feed in this park
but there are actually other species of monkeys that want popcorn
and that seize it with the same voracity
One piece of popcorn, for example, is not enough for this magot
who stretches out its arm to ask for one more
All right... let's give it to her !
And while a monkey, tired of popcorn, is enjoying a carrot
a male is carrying a young one around on his back
Among these macaques the males also take care of the young, even if they're not theirs
and they play with them, delouse them and protect them
Well, even if enclosed in this 24-hectare park
these monkeys behave exactly like they would in their natural environment
in the forests on Moroccan and Algerian mountains
where the climate is similar to that of this region of Europe
characterized by cold and snowy winters
which is the reason why they can live outside all year round even at this latitude
And while we keep feeding these primates so similar to us
the only one who hasn't had the courage to do it yet is Barbara
who gives in eventually and tries this unique experience too
Not once, but twice
And the time comes to leave Monkey Mountain
so we go back to the parking lot to get our car and hit the road again
And when we cross the Rhine, we leave France and we arrive in Germany
that will turn out to be full of wind turbines, Enea's biggest passion
Our goal is to get to the little town of Biberach, where we're going to sleep
This is where our hotel is
and where its funny manager, who has a British sense of humour, shows us the parking space where we can leave our car
and the way to get to our room
a triple room with a bathroom that has a shower and a bathtub at the same time
a double bed and a single bed where I'll be sleeping
And in the quiet hallway on our floor, there's even a common bathroom
which can be a good alternative in case the bathroom in our room is occupied
We go out again because we would like to visit Biberach, but...
I asked the manager if there was a center of town... Enea please...
if there was a center of town and he said: no, it's all like this... residential
So in order to see a nice place around here, he recommended us to go to Gengenbach that's a 5-minute drive from here
So Marco went to get the keys and we'll go see what Gengenbach is like
We get to Gengenbach when the sun is beginning to set
and along the way we come across a fountain that Enea finds particularly amusing
because he runs around trying to wet us all
Once in the old town, we're immediately drawn like flies to honey to the "Casa del Gelato"
where our intention at first is to take a simple ice cream cone
but after seeing the huge and tempting ice cream cups on the tables of the other costumers
we decide to take a seat and have a cold and sweet dinner
which is perfect for this sultry and hot evening
And when we order our ice creams
we find out that the nice owner comes from Sicily
and that he's very happy to have a chat with other Italians
What is it ?
This is a hazelnut ice cream
Sehr gut ! (Very good)
What flavors did you choose, Enea ?
Strawberry and lemon with a cookie
What's yours called, Marco ?
Tropical Becher (Tropicale cup)
It's all tropical fruit
My ice cream is like a non-tropical fruit salad
and we are surprised not only by how good these ice creams are, with fruit that is clearly fresh
but also by how we immediately stop feeling uncomfortable in this heat after eating them
We say goodbye to the nice and friendly manager of the "Casa del gelato"
and before going back to our hotel
we take a walk in the nice little streets of Gengenbach
discovering its unexpected charm and its numerous beauties
like the Röhrbrunnen fountain
on top of which a knight, also affectionately referred to as "Schwed", the Swede, by Gengenbach's citizens
is leaning on a shield with the town's coat of arms
There's so much to discover here in Gengenbach, but our day has been long and we have to go back to our hotel
But we promise ourselves that we'll come back tomorrow to explore this town that seems to be so wonderful
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