to all…… and to all a good night!
It’s Christmas night here in Strasbourg, France the last stopover as we make our way back to Paris for the journey home. I had heard from some of my new-found friends in Aix en Provence that if you really want to do it up right for Christmas, Strasbourg is the place to be! They weren’t kidding! I can’t think of anywhere I have visited that has more Christmas ambiance and spirit than Strasbourg, the home of gingerbread-style houses and Christmas markets!
Strasbourg is a fairly large city in the heart of the Alsace section of France on the German border. Over the years, the Alsace has been an area claimed by both Germany and France. (Right now it’s France.) Therefore, you get a nice little mix of both when you are anywhere in the area.
The architecture in Strasbourg is very much like many of the German towns we have visited over the years. The streets in the old section, where we spent most of our time, are lined with buildings that look like old wooden chalets…or gingerbread houses…whichever you prefer!
The food has a lot of influence from the German culture, as evidenced by the meal we had on our first night here. Mike had a mound of sauerkraut with sausages and different kinds of hams. I had “coq au reisling”, chicken braised in reisling wine. And, I had my fill of the big, fat doughy pretzels that I love so much. (The pretzel bar is always my first stop in Germany, Switzerland, and other places that are German-like!) But, there is a French influence as well, as evidenced by the meal we had today, on Christmas. It was very elegant and very nicely presented. There’s something for everyone here!
This region has a cooler climate and it’s quite cold here now. (We are now the proud owners of two new pairs of gloves!) The wines here are what you would expect for a cooler climate. We have had nice reislings, pinot gris, gewürztraminers, and pinot noirs. All were quite tasty.
Food and wine aside, though, the draw here at Christmas is the Christmas markets. I have seen these all over France since about the middle of November. But, none of them can touch the grandeur of those here in Strasbourg. There are ten markets in all in different parts of the city and each one is a little different. They are themed differently and, therefore, decorated differently. And, they sell different things. The areas of the city surrounding each market are also decorated to compliment the style of the market. Suffice to say if you don’t find what you want here, it doesn’t exist! Truth be told, we didn’t make it to all the markets….I think we hit about five. That was enough for me. But, it was quite a Christmas spectacular that I am glad to have been a part of.
I did see some fun Christmas things in other places I visited as well. So, I thought I would include some pictures of Christmas in France! I hope you enjoy them! I certainly enjoyed enjoyed getting them!
This is one of my favorite photos, probably because it was fun to get. It’s also cute. I engaged (en français) a man who was walking with a dog that was dressed in Santa Claus garb, to ask if I could take a picture of the dog. He was thrilled! He spoke to the dog in French and asked him to sit and “regardez la Madame” (look at the woman)….and, he did!
The fun of getting this photograph made me think again of something important that I have thought about over and over again on this trip. (Not every day was as exciting as I would like you to think.) Some simple joys of life can be gleaned even from the small things that cross your path each day, even on the days when those things are hard to find. Sometimes we just need to look for them!
So, as Christmas Day 2014 comes to a close here in France, I would like to wish you all the best for the holiday and for 2015!
Going forward, I plan to make the most of each day and find the joy in each moment. I hope you will do the same!
Travel With Betsy 
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