Originally posted on September 1, 2025
The trip over wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. The drive to the Toronto airport was mostly uneventful, though traffic got messy near the terminal and the car park was tucked away in a spot that felt like it was hiding from us. Still, we arrived with plenty of time to spare. The flight itself? Miserable—though honestly, when isn’t it? As I like to say, it’s the only thing you pay for knowing you don’t want to like.
Customs in Paris was its own adventure. Everyone now has to go through those new passport scanners, but the machines were buggy and slow, creating a bottleneck. It took us over two hours from touchdown to finally getting through. I was worried our driver would give up on us, but thankfully, he was a good guy—he even had someone else cover his next run so he could wait. From there, he got us to the Gare de l’Est train station, and that’s when I finally started to relax.
The train ride delivered us to Colmar, a charming Alsatian town famous for its half-timbered houses and canals—often nicknamed “Little Venice.” Our hotel, the Ibis Budget, was about a 20-minute walk from the station. No frills, but it sat right on the edge of the historic district, which was exactly where we wanted to be.
After settling in, we stretched our legs with a walk toward the old town. Along the way, we picked up a few necessities (shampoo, shaving cream—the things that always seem to slip through packing). Dinner was a local specialty: tarte flambée, a thin, crisp crust topped with cream, onions, and bacon. Simple, delicious, and perfect after a long day of travel.
It was a quiet evening, the kind we needed. Tomorrow, we’ll dive into exploring Colmar properly.
