Le Capitale de Noel

Last weekend brought me to the Christmas markets in Strasbourg. I was expecting a great deal of festive cheer, and I was not disappointed. Strasbourg is adorable in itself; it's 5 kilometers from Germany, so you can really see the German influence on the architecture and local cuisine! Back in the day France and Germany fought over this territory and of course, after WWII, France won. It's a charming little gem about as east as you can go, laughing all the way, ha ha ha!

I stayed with a family that have recently moved back to France after having lived in my hometown for several years, and in fact a few of their kids had been my mom's students. It was so amazing to hear them speak in French and English. They jibbered back in forth in both languages flawlessly. When they spoke English, there was no French accent, and vice versa. It made me want to become fluent even more! They're all so young and they know two languages perfectly, and some will be learning a third in the next year. It was inspiring and I was a little jealous!

When we went to the markets in the center of Strasbourg, every street was decorated and lights glittered everywhere. Every street had a different color or style of lights than the one before it, and every building looked like a giant present all wrapped up. The markets were full of ornaments, dancing Santas and stockings. The markets are set up almost like little gingerbread houses, each vendor in a different one, and they're all set up in a row, creating little streets of Christmas. The smell of Christmas trees and hot wine was the cherry on top. A cozy restaurant and sauerkraut warmed me up later. I was excited to try another local dish, and it was really interesting. The texture was a little different for me, it was almost a steamed onion and lettuce at the same time, I wasn't sure what to expect because I don't think I've had cabbage before. It tasted pretty good though, and add some sausage and potatoes-you can't go wrong. It was a great day.

On my second and last day, I took a little stroll around La Petit France. It was more like Germany, I thought. All the buildings had that somewhat thatched look with the brown stripes across the front. We saw more markets and I bought a little souvenir for home. It wasn't as decorated as the center of the city, but it was adorable in its own way. The German-French fusion was so fun to see!

The more I see of France, the more I want to spend more time here! The Tuleu's were great hosts, and I hope I can go back again someday!