It is perhaps a little strange to be blogging about Christmas markets in France during the peak of Summer, but when the content is about the oldest Christmas markets in the world - then it is all worthwhile. This blog post covers the weekend in December when we continued our annual tradition of visiting Christmas markets overseas - selecting Strasbourg, France and a short stop in Paris for the festivities along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. We chose to visit Strasbourg as the first Christkindelsmärik in the world was held around the Cathedral in 1570 and every year tourists are drawn to this UNESCO listed city to buy vin chaud (hot wine), biscuits and wooden decorations.
The Friday evening Eurostar train had been booked many months in advance when the fares were first released and it was possible to secure seats for 59 euro return. Accompanying us on this trip were our expat friends, Yvonne and Jason and we re-grouped at Gare du Nord before heading to the 6th arrondissement by metro.
Our hotel - the Royal Saint Germain was centrally located near the Montparnasse tower roundabout and the restaurant area that we had discovered on a previous Paris visit near the Boulevard du Montparnasse. We ate dinner at a local brasserie, tucking into rounds of foie gras, steak and chips.
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| Foie gras - one of our favourite foods |
Hot crepes are amazing excuses for dessert and we stopped by La Creperie de Josselin for a nutella filled snack.
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| Crepes in France - yum |
Train to Strasbourg
There is a direct high-speed train service from Paris (Gare de l'Est) to Strasbourg and this transport link made it convenient for a day-trip down to Christmas Markets. Originally we had planned to stay overnight in Strasbourg, but it was so challenging to find reasonably priced accommodation for a single night in the city that we instead paid for an early train ride in and late return in the evening so we could make the most of our visit.
Strasbourg UNESCO Listed city
Grande Île (Grand Island) is the historic centre of Strasbourg and sits as an island in the Ill River. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its preserved architecture despite being involved in many wars. Most notably, Strasbourg is part of the Alsace region that was part of the Holy Roman Empire, incorporated into France in the 17th century, annexed back to Germany in 1871, ceded to France under the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, conquered by Germany in 1940 and back to French control in 1945. Presently, it is the location of many Institutions including: European Parliament and the International Institute of Human Rights.
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| The UNESCO sign in Strasbourg |
City Walk
When we arrived at Strasbourg train station, the rain was bucketing down. We walked towards the historical center and admired the timber buildings and sculptures, some dating back to the 1500's. The draw of tourists for the Christmas markets is so important that maps had been set up around town, providing clear directions on the route to visit them.
Strasbourg Christmas Decorations
The streets of the city were richly decorated with Christmas baubles and icons. From the stuffed toys hanging from the windows, to the shops with Christmas treats and horse-pulled sleighs - it really felt like Christmas time. This will be one of the feelings that we will miss when we move home to the Southern Hemisphere when Christmas usually falls on a 30 degree day in summer.
Strasbourg Cathedral Christmas Market
Our first stop was to visit the Cathedral, where in the cold, rainy December weather we were very happy to gulp down our first glass of Vin Chaud (hot wine). Unlike 'mulled wine' that we had drunk at other Christmas markets, this wine was sweet and hot without the noticeable addition of spices or fruit. In Vienna, we had drunk wine spiked with brandy that gave us a super-warm feeling straight after.
Strasbourg Cathedral
The Cathedral has fame as being the world's tallest building for 227 years from 1647 when it outranked a cathedral in Hamburg. It is still the highest structure built entirely in the Middle Ages - building commenced in the 12th century. |
| Side view of the cathedral and tower |
Astronomical Clock
The cathedral was open for visitors and a queue formed in front of the Astronomical Clock, one of the largest in the world. The photos show the current clock that dates back to the 19th century, but predecessor clocks have been there since the Middle Ages. We stayed to watch the clock strike the hour and the figures moved in a circle but overall the display was not as interesting as the Astronomical Clock in the centre of Prague.
Strasbourg Christmas Tree
All Christmas markets possess an official decorated fir tree that is the centerpiece of the city. The Strasbourg Christmas Tree is over 30m high and is located in the central square - Place Kleber. |
| Christmas Tree by day |
Food Stalls
Comparing the Christmas markets that we have visited over the past 4 years, Cologne offered the most variety in terms of food stalls - skewers, bratwurst and lots of chimney cakes. The Strasbourg markets had a few stalls, concentrated in one area and selling sausages covered in a pasta topping. We also spotted a dough-boy in a bakery, but otherwise the majority of foods on offer were in the form of biscuits.
River Cruise
Online forums all recommended that a visit to Strasbourg is not complete within a tour by boat along the river. However, the constant rain meant that a trip in a covered boat was the most attractive tourist activity in the city. The queue was too long for our interest and we decided to walk around by foot.
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| Passengers embarking onto the river boats |
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| River boats passing through the medieval architecture |
Petite France is a small area of medieval timbered houses with patterned panels and pastel paintwork. It is popular with camera snappy tourists and there are many souvenir shops and cafes lined along the narrow streets.
Medieval Towers
A trio of medieval stone towers, originally part of the city's defence network are located at the edge of the Petite France area of the city. Also nearby is the Barrage Vauban (Vauban weir) - a covered building that spans the length of the river and regulates the water flow. We walked across the panoramic terrace on top of the building to see beautiful views of the city.
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| One of the landmarks of Strasbourg |
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| Barrage Vauban |
As the sun set behind the rain-clouds, we found a cafe - L'Atelier d'Grand Pere for a few pre-dinner drinks before hunting down a seat in the busy Aux Armes de Strasbourg restaurant for dinner. Our meal started off with a cold salad with the smallest pickled onions we had ever seen
Mei's main course was choucroute garnie - the famous regional dish that is prepared with sauerkraut, potatoes, sausages and other salted meats. Olie ate the more traditional dish of ham hock with a rich gravy.
Strasbourg at Night
The protein overload prompted us to want to walk around to see the Christmas lights. The Christmas Tree in the Place Kleber was lit up and crowds were gathering to watch a laser show with a storyline about a Christmas toy. However, we weren't able to dawdle for long as we were on the last train back to Paris in preparation for a new day of Christmas markets.
Paris - Avenue des Champs-Élysées Christmas Markets
After breakfast we headed to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées for a peek at the Parisian Christmas markets. Lined along Paris's most famous shopping boulevard, the chalets focused on food and we met up with our friends Yvonne and Jason for a morning of eating.
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| Avenue des Champs-Élysées |
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| Chalets getting busy close to lunchtime |
Our first stop was for some warming french onion soup, perfect on a freezing cold day.
Our second stop was to eat grilled squid at a fresh seafood stall. Cooked to order with a slice of lemon - it was definitely a good choice.
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| Oysters and bubbles next on the menu |
The rest of the morning progressed through a salmon roll and gazing longingly at the rows of hanging hog hocks that would have been chosen as the next dish, had we not run out of room in our bellies.
Petit Palais
Again the need to exercise after eating took priority and also to achieve one cultural activity on this Paris trip. We headed into the Petit Palais - an art gallery near the Avenue des Champs-Élysée, and walked around viewing the artwork, sculptures and beautiful architecture.
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| Entrance to the Petit Palais |
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| The open garden inside the building |
The palace has a large outdoor garden with a covered walkway with classical paintings on the ceiling - interestingly, some supporting metal scaffolding had been painted in a way to avoid disrupting the view of the artwork, We spent time walking around and looking at a photo exhibition on Azerbaijan.
Eurostar back to London
But then almost too soon it was time for us to catch the Eurostar back to London. After past trips, we had learnt to stock up on picnic foods at the duty free store in the terminal - including small traveller sized bottles of red wine and cheese for the journey home. |
| Journey home treats |
Miami and the Caribbean cruise
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