Before we went to Breisach we stopped at the Maginot line named after Andre Maginot in 1930's, built to keep out the Germans - which didn't work so well.. and of course, in the inimitable way of the French, this is Saturday, and the museum is closed, because it's the French shopping day and the employees don't want to work on Saturday. So we took pictures, exterior, and moved on. This city, Breisach, was also known as breakwater in early Celtic times until the river was straightened in the 19th century. There are two original defense towers that have been preserved from the Middle Ages. The st Stephen's cathedral is a combination of Romanesque and gothic architecture.. After an ice cream break and a quick couple of purchases we headed back to the boat for lunch and a rest - with just enough time to check emails and find out that another credit card was breached. A cancellation of that card - and we were off to Colmar! Colmar is a picturesque city located on the Alsatian wine route in France the city was mostly spared during the French Revolution and the subsequent 19th and 20th century wars. Colmar is known for its steep pitched roofs pastel stucco, and distinctive french window boxes. And Alsatian wine... Bartholdi is the artist who created the Statue of Liberty that was given as a gift from France to the US and there is a museum here dedicated to his artwork. In the garden before the entrance is a Bartholdi statue supporting the world ... There was or is a curator at the museum who became famous for his artwork, Hansi, and he had a great sense of humor. It came out when creating his hanging signs indicating the businesses the signs advertised for... This building was a cathedral - but it lost its bishop so the church closed down. The two storks were unaware of church politics so they return every year and they have been named Martin and Martina - and when the newspaper reports that Martin and Martina have returned, townspeople know who they refer to . Domaine Karcher winery 4 century in same family.. have 10 acres and produces 60,000 bottles a year. 5 wine tasting: Crement sour. Dry. Their version of champagne. Reisling 2013 - a bit softer, still citric to me. Mineral notes ; goes well with fresh creamy cheese Muscat 2014- smells fruity and flowery; tastes a bit dry but more to my taste than the first two Pinot Gris 2015 - smells drier but tastes smoother Gewürztraminer - here we go! Good. Not heavily sweet but no tart or lemon overtones.aromatic with mango How do you know when to harvest? 1 taste 2 when skin separates easily from body of berry 3 there's a machine that tests sweetness of grape Before 2016 it was called tokay but switched to Pinot Gris. (Never mix with lemon!) Gewurztraminer comes from northern Italy - means spicy After the wine tasting we headed back to the ship to start packing. For a last night thank you for choosing Gate 1 they prepared a 5 course meal for us - we went through 2 locks just during dinner. Once through, the boat sped up considerably, perhaps to make up time. And I guess that they could tell from my passport that it was my birthday - they had a parade with a cake with a sparkler sticking out of the top and sang happy birthday. What a generous act!!!! To be honest, it wasn't the fanciest boat or the most expensive, but it was such a pleasure being with the wonderful employees of Gate 1 travel, and the intimate experience of a ship with less than 200 passengers. We would definitely travel with this company again. More packing.