EGUISHEIM, France — As an illustrator for children's books, Lina Nordin Gee needs her brushes and her imagination.
"Often I get this vision of what I want. And, it's just trying to get that down on paper," said Gee.
So, if she wanted to draw a French village this might look like something out of a fairytale.
"You will see a lot of higgledee piggledee streets, cobble stones. You get a lot of colors," said Gee.
But, this fairytale village is real!
"I feel like I'm in a fantasy world, but a real one," said tour guide Jerome Valladier.
Welcome to Eguisheim.
"It's a beautiful Alsacian village with all the charms that you need to have: storks, geraniums, half-timbered houses, cobblestone, beautiful houses, food and wine. What else can we ask for," said Valladier.
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If this small house and fountain look familiar they should. The scenes inspired "Beauty and the Beast".
"I don't know if you remember in the cartoon when Belle is sitting and reading a book and dancing and singing," said Valladier. "At the entrance of the village, you have the little pigeon house, which her house in the movie when she opens the shutters, she sees the fountain."
Imagine a whole area of "fairytale villages" in eastern France. They exist.
Riquewihr is one such place along the Alsace wine route. It's where Mark Hugel's family has produced wine for nearly four centuries.
"It's more than important. It's the alpha and the omega. It's everything," said Hugel.
Hugel feels like he lives in a fairytale village.
"Especially at Christmastime. The December month, you've got lights everywhere. In the morning, it's beautiful. Especially when you've got some snow and stuff like that," said Hugel.
Allow your imagination to dream about a "fairytale village" with a canal. That too is real. Welcome to Colmar, known as "Little Venice," where a boat ride allows you to explore its beauty. Colmar is also known as the hometown of Bartholdi, the sculptor who created the "Statue of Liberty."
Some "fairytales" are created. The work of talented artists.
"I love illustrating people and café scenes. It's one of my favorites," said Gee.
But in the Olympic host country, fairytale villages really exist.
"Just so quaint. So sweet. And just so real," said Mary Beth Carroll.
"It's a hidden gem, Alsace," said Valladier.
Some might say the best fairytales aren't found in a book, they're tucked into the beautiful French countryside.
"That's why people should discover it. Because if you want authenticity, if you want something very different from the rest of France, you have Alsace," said Valladier.