Strasbourg is my old hometown in France, familiar and
friendly ground, but oh, how it’s changed. We’re stopping here for the Christmas markets, which we
last visited about ten years ago.
Then there were three locations around town – this year there are eleven different clusters of Christmas
chalets, stretching from the center of town around the cathedral all the way to
Place d’Austerlitz, and to the train station.
It’s cold here this time of year and the snow falls, though
it doesn’t stick much. The
decorators in charge of Christmas mood have added artificial snow to some of
the trees and bushes, just to make sure it looks right. But they really needn’t have
bothered, because the lights are fantastic, the markets are colorful and Strasbourg
itself is beautiful any time of year.
For our almost a week stay, we rented an apartment in a neighborhood near where I lived as a student, but a
bit different in style. Our
apartment is in this house:
From here it's a short walk to the center of Strasbourg, which we did on our first evening. Here's the street leading up to the cathedral
and the 'Grand Sapin' at Place Kléber.
For the Christmas markets themselves, all you have to do is follow the lights - and your nose - and the crowds - to find them.
More to come...
wonderful pictures. I felt the festival atmosphere.
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