On a couple of my European business trips the last few years I've had the opportunity to see some of the Christmas markets in Germany, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. So, I was looking forward this year to exploring the Christmas markets in France and sharing the experience with Erin, Paige, and Clay.
A few weekends ago we made an overnight trip to Strasbourg, in eastern France. Strasbourg presents an interesting intersection of French and German culture as it sits very close to the border between the two countries and has been part of each country at various times throughout its history.
We took the high-speed TGV train to Strasbourg, getting us there in two hours and fifteen minutes. Screens on the train showed the speed as it progressed and the highest I saw was 313 km/hr -- 194 mph! It was dark out so it was hard to see how fast we were going but you could definitely feel it. The slight shuddering of the train was a bit disconcerting. It felt like it was going to fly off the tracks or bust into pieces.
We were joined on the trip by our friends Andrew, Nima, Safianna, and Cyrus. Andrew and Nima are here in Paris for a year on sabbatical from their university in Toronto. Safianna is one of Paige's best friends and Cyrus is a friend of Clay's.
We saw right away why they call Strasbourg the "Capital of Christmas". The city was full of lights, decorations, and many, many individual markets. The Christmas market around the cathedral has been in existence since 1570!
We also saw that Strasbourg is a huge draw for visitors like us. It felt like the entirety of France was in town. Moving around some of the markets was almost impossible. The other challenge with the trip were the sub-freezing temperatures. With the streets crowded and the weather very cold, it was difficult to keep the kids enthused about browsing the city. Fortunately we enjoyed a couple of nice meals in charming restaurants to warm us all up.
While I wouldn't describe it as warm, a visit to the Strasbourg Cathedral provided another break from the cold. The cathedral is an amazing structure, completed in the 1400s, that was actually the world's tallest building for over 200 years from 1647 to 1874. Inside we found an intricate astronomical clock, which was of great interest to all of us -- and the hordes of visitors too.
Just to comment on the food...we usually strive to try a traditional meal/drink in the towns we visit. For Strasbourg, traditional dinners include coq au vin (rooster with wine) or coq au Reisling and the Baeckheoffe, choucroute, white wines, spice bread, kugelhopf pastry and other pastries. TheBaeckheoffe dish refers to when women would gather up leftover meat from the week to put in a casserole dish with potatoes. They would drop it off at the baker's oven to cook during the 3 hour mass. Then, on their way home from church they picked up the dish and voila dinner is served. All of these foods were fabulous!
A few weekends ago we made an overnight trip to Strasbourg, in eastern France. Strasbourg presents an interesting intersection of French and German culture as it sits very close to the border between the two countries and has been part of each country at various times throughout its history.
We took the high-speed TGV train to Strasbourg, getting us there in two hours and fifteen minutes. Screens on the train showed the speed as it progressed and the highest I saw was 313 km/hr -- 194 mph! It was dark out so it was hard to see how fast we were going but you could definitely feel it. The slight shuddering of the train was a bit disconcerting. It felt like it was going to fly off the tracks or bust into pieces.
We were joined on the trip by our friends Andrew, Nima, Safianna, and Cyrus. Andrew and Nima are here in Paris for a year on sabbatical from their university in Toronto. Safianna is one of Paige's best friends and Cyrus is a friend of Clay's.
We saw right away why they call Strasbourg the "Capital of Christmas". The city was full of lights, decorations, and many, many individual markets. The Christmas market around the cathedral has been in existence since 1570!
We also saw that Strasbourg is a huge draw for visitors like us. It felt like the entirety of France was in town. Moving around some of the markets was almost impossible. The other challenge with the trip were the sub-freezing temperatures. With the streets crowded and the weather very cold, it was difficult to keep the kids enthused about browsing the city. Fortunately we enjoyed a couple of nice meals in charming restaurants to warm us all up.
While I wouldn't describe it as warm, a visit to the Strasbourg Cathedral provided another break from the cold. The cathedral is an amazing structure, completed in the 1400s, that was actually the world's tallest building for over 200 years from 1647 to 1874. Inside we found an intricate astronomical clock, which was of great interest to all of us -- and the hordes of visitors too.
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| Astronomical clock |
Just to comment on the food...we usually strive to try a traditional meal/drink in the towns we visit. For Strasbourg, traditional dinners include coq au vin (rooster with wine) or coq au Reisling and the Baeckheoffe, choucroute, white wines, spice bread, kugelhopf pastry and other pastries. TheBaeckheoffe dish refers to when women would gather up leftover meat from the week to put in a casserole dish with potatoes. They would drop it off at the baker's oven to cook during the 3 hour mass. Then, on their way home from church they picked up the dish and voila dinner is served. All of these foods were fabulous!
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