Storybook Villages

You know that moment when you come across a photo on pinterest and you think to yourself… do places like this actually exist? Could a town really look like the ones in a Disney movie?

Well I am here to tell you that yes, yes they do. "Magical", fairytale, storybook villages do exist and they are more charming and quaint then you could ever imagine!

Meghan and I caught a train from Pairs and traveled south to the tiny, yet highly populated, region of Alsace; a treasure chest of enchanting villages.

We joked about how we were finally fulfilling our childhood dream of being in a Disney movie…and after doing a bit of research; we learned that the inspiration for the town in Beauty and the Beast came from the towns in the Alsace region!

Arguably three of the most charming towns I’ve ever spent time in, visiting Colmar, Kaysersberg and Ribeauville was like stepping back in time into sleepy French villages of small half-timbered buildings where the only things to do are enjoy delicious French meals, sip the local wine choices, smell the fresh air, and hike the hills to breathtaking views and century-old castles. They are the definition of pure relaxation and easily make you forget that things like office buildings, bank accounts, and traffic jams exist.

Everywhere I looked, I was taken away by the brightly colored, medieval, half-timbered houses and the Venice- like canal streets. These towns are without a doubt a photographers dream. Every corner you turn and every street you walk down seems like another opportunity for the perfect picture.

I sill can’t wrap my mind around the fact that people live in these sorts of places. They’re what you see in fairytale books when you’re growing up, but for the residents of Colmar, Kaysersberg, Ribeauville and the many villages like it, it’s just life.