OK, so this is a bit of a funky-looking photo (thanks, Hipstamatic) of Place Kleber in Strasbourg. I thought Violetta (a reader from L.A. who has decided to book a trip to Strasbourg for Christmas after reading the blog -- how cool is that?!) might like to see it since she'll be staying nearby. (Hello, Strasbourg Tourism Office? I hope the check is in the mail, because your visitor statistics are skyrocketing already, thanks to moi.) Place Kleber is a nice shopping area (all of central Strasbourg is a good shopping zone, for that matter) and very centrally located on the Grand Ile; there's a tram that passes nearby direct from the train station, and it's just a short walk to everything from there. And Place Kleber is one of the key Christmas market areas, with dozens of little booths and easy access to all the gluhwein (pronounce it "GLOO-vine") you can handle. BTW, Kleber (pronounce it "clay-bear"), a native of Strasbourg, was a French general during the Revolution, became head of the French military under Napoleon, and was murdered in 1800. If you visit the Strasbourg Historical Museum, there's even a little exhibit about him there, and he must have been kind of a big deal since they dedicated an entire place to him. Kleber is actually buried underneath this statue, by the way, although I didn't know that before reading it on Wikipedia.
Violetta, you couldn't have picked a more divine place to spend the holidays, and it will be such a change for you from a California Christmas! We will all look forward to a "trip report" afterward... send me a photo of you there, if you want, and I'll post it!
Meanwhile, in this photo? The drunk guy passed out beneath the statue of Kleber? I'm sure he'll be gone by Christmas.
