Colmar Pocket Day 11

Today began like all the others in the Alsace. Get up, have coffee, eat our croissants, and prepare to start our day. Yesterday we did not get going until after 11:00. We decided that we would get an early start today. We did. We left around 10:30 a.m. Today's itinerary was Christmas market at Eguisheim, followed by lunch, and then drive to Turckheim and visit the WWII museum about the Colmar Pocket.
Human presence was first know to have been in Eguisheim during the Paleolithic age with the first settlement beginning in the 11th century. This village is a favorite of the tourist trade. They produce Alsace wine of high quality and it is located on the French Wine Trail. The Christmas market here is outstanding. If we continue on our present course, I shall have to buy another suitcase to get our gifts back to the U.S. We all enjoyed this village.
We then drove to Turckheim to check out their Christmas market before we went to the museum. The market had not started, so we settled for hot chocolate until 4:00 p.m.
Turckheim is located on the eastern slope of the Vosges mountains. It is known for its wine, culinary delights, and beautiful scenery. Few of its early renaissance buildings were destroyed during the war, therefore, it is a favorite destination for tourists wishing to see the half timbered houses.

Turckheim is set at the heart of the "Pocket of Colmar”, the last bastion of Germany in French territory. Apart from Normandy, the areas of France most bitterly defended by the Germans were Alsace and Lorraine.
It was in this setting that Lt Audie Murphy won his Medal of Honor. The museum tells the story, not only of the whole battle.... the soldiers on both sides fought in horrendous cold weather. A story not well known because the Battle of the Bulge was getting most of the press. These battle conditions rivaled any others. They were terrible. Above and beyond, this describes the sacrifice and valor of these men. The museum tells their story.
Captain Roy Smith , Alabama State Troopers(ret), told me about this museum and the significance of this battle and I knew it was one I wanted to visit.
I am glad I came.