Keintzheim
24 May 2018
After spending yesterday making up for our previously short time in Riquewihr, today was going to be spent with quality time in another town we loved but only quickly passed through before – Kaysersberg. Right on the outskirts of the main town, we made a quick stop off at the small village of Keintzheim.
Right on the edge of the village, just before the ancient walls, is an old M4 Sherman tank named “Renard”. Meaning “Fox” in French, the tank stands guard at the entrance of town. With the peaceful atmosphere, beautiful buildings, and friendly people, it can be easy to forget that this area was right in the main line during both World Wars. On one hand, if you have even a passing interest in history, there is nothing like wandering through this area and stumbling on these little artifacts. On the other hand, I remember reading about how entire towns lost their adult male population in just seconds as the soldiers had their first encounter with machine guns. You can’t help but wonder which of these little villages are those towns. Looking around the quiet streets, it's hard to image the intense fighting that happened throughout this area. It’s something you hope they never have to see again.
We crossed through the gate and walked around the little town. It was pretty there, each of the houses decorated with their own cute touches and lots of little window boxes overflowing with flowers. The center fountain had each section marked with a grape variety that made this wine region famous. But there was absolutely nobody there! It’s funny because my mom always asks, “Where are all the people in your pictures?” I purposely frame them out or just wait until the coast is clear most of the time... but in Keintzheim there really was nobody on the streets! It can be easy to forget while traveling that today may be a weekday and the local people are probably at work, and a small village like Keintzheim would most likely be pretty quiet in the morning like it was today. Maybe later on there would be more activity, but this morning it was like a ghost town... though it was a very pretty one for sure!
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