So last week, I got to sneak out of Paris for the day, and high-tailed it to Strasbourg on the TGV. My motivation was the opportunity to finally meet a client of over two years, face-to-face; she has family in Stuttgart, Germany, and was visiting them from her current home in San Francisco, so we were able to meet more or less in the middle. This was no hardship for me, as I loved Strasbourg when I visited two years ago and was happy to have a reason to go back.
As I wrote the other day, Strasbourg is also the home of France's largest Christmas marché; BONUS!
I didn't take a lot of photos as the weather was rather grey and drizzly, and I took so many photos on my last trip. But here are just a few so you can get a general idea of just how darned ADORABLE this town is.
And yes... there was Gluhwein. Yum!
Every year, they set up one area of the market and dedicate it to wares from another country. This year, it was Russia... which was perfect as Georges' family has a Russian "arm". I found a pretty hand-painted ornament and a small decorative bowl to keep my jewelry in. This was Place Gutenberg, by the way... yes, the same Gutenberg who invented the printing press and printed the first bible, right here in Strasbourg. He later settled elsewhere in Germany.
The gift shop on the ground floor of this building, near the Cathedral, sold the stuffed storks it used liberally to decorate it's windows and window-boxes. Later, we saw two grown men walking around wearing stuffed stork HATS. Quite the fashion statement.
Street of shops (stuffed storks just on your right) leading up to the doors of the lovely Cathedral. It has some of the most beautiful stained glass I've ever seen, anywhere. My photos of the interior didn't turn out that well this time, however.
Everywhere we walked, there were shops and buildings with their "halls" all "decked out". This is a street that goes past the Cathedral and toward the river, and every single building is utterly charming, even without the holiday attire. The special decorations just made it even more quaint and adorable.
Oh, where to find the hot mulled wine when you're there? EVERYWHERE. In every market area, there was at least one, and usually more than one, stall with the spicy wine and assorted other goodies. In fact, I saw more food-related stalls than crafts and gifts! And much of what I brought back to Paris with me was edible, like some pain d'épices au gingembre that Georges and I loved but which the kids said was too spicy with the big chunks of candied soft ginger in it. (Fine... more for us!)
My only regret about the day was that I had to catch a 4:15pm train home, which meant I didn't get to see all the Christmas lights. If I get the chance to go some other year, I'll be sure and stay later next time.
