The next day of our adventure was to the Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle and the Christmas Shop

The Haut-Koenigsbourg castle located above the village of Orschwiller

The town is another tiny village, nestled in-between endless winelands

We wound our way through the town, up to the Castle

The Castle was built by Frédéric le Borgne, duke of Souabe and a member of the Hohenstaufens family – view more history

It is cold and eerie inside the castle, you feel like you are back in the  12th Century, when the Castle was built.

Throughout, small period windows allow you this astounding, breathtaking glimpse of what the duke saw on a daily basis

After the Castle, we went down into Orshwiller for lunch, and ended up at The Hupsa Fannala

It was a quaint place, the food slightly higher priced, but most delicious

And from there, on to Riquewihr, in search of the Christmas Shop

This was my favourite town of the trip

The main street is only pedestrian (and delivery vehicle) access, the cobbled wonderland becomes from the start

For those who prefer not to walk, the little tourist train will show and tell you around the fairy tale town

Here, I found something I have never had before (and would not normally eat, should I not have been on holiday)

Banana Sorbet !

Made with real bananas, it was absolutely delicious, so much so that I hunted for it in every other place we went to, but did not find it

We wandered through the village, taking in this surreal, movie-set like village

The smell of mouth-watering treats, sweet & savoury capture every  sense

Tourist and locals alike congregate in the the gorgeous winstubs (or wine rooms)

Just one of of the boulangeries (bread-ery) / patissteries (bakery), its windows lined with multi-coloured macaroons

Ha, and finally, the famous Christmas Shop

The Feerie de Noel is the main reason why this town holds the best memories for me.

 The store is set up like many of the stores here, almost like a ride, one way in / out. And, as soon as you enter, it feels like you have climbed aboard the Polar Express

As you venture further into the wonderland, you feel as if you have just woken up in the  Santa’s Factory, it really gives you that warm-and-fuzzy feeling.

No cameras inside – check it out here.