So my Christmas vacation started off with a couple of days in Strasbourg: a French city on the German border in the region of Alsace. Because of this proximity with Germany (and for historical reasons) there’s a heavy German influence here.
That weekend, a cold snap hit France: it was snowing in Lyon, and the forecast for Strasbourg wasn’t much better: – 12C. Luckily, as soon as I got out of the station, I saw what I’d come to see:
Christmas markets!!
The Christmas markets in Strasbourg are supposed to be among the best in the country. What makes them absolutely lovely for a weary traveller is the copious amounts of mulled wine which can be had. No, seriously, it warms you up. At some point I also decided that I’d lived long enough in this country without eating snails and so took a tentative first step with a baguette au beurre d’escargot. It just kind of tasted like garlic bread. (Hey, wait, according to wordreference.com there are no snails in beurre d’escargot! (“garlic and parsley butter”?) I’ve been had!)
So pretty!
Strasbourg is pretty in the snow. Seeing half-timbered houses in winter just brought an inexplicable smile to my face. They’re adorable, okay?
