Germany - Day 6

 

My luggage is heavier after two days of shopping. We packed up and left Strasbourg by train. We arrived in Esslingin, Germany around noon. It was too early to check in to the hotel, so we walked around the town and enjoyed lunch at the Christmas market. What makes this one unique is that they have a medieval themed market. I enjoyed the vibe, the costumes, and the musical performers. It was a very unique experience and worth the stop. 

By 3:00 we checked in to our hotel. We changed into warmer clothes and then headed back out to see the same Christmas markets. Going back after dark added to the experience. The booths were lit by flickering torches and lanterns making it feel like we were in a different era. 

France - Day 5

 

We walked back to the city center for more shopping and Christmas markets. I finally found a booth that had the Christmas market mugs I heard about on instagram. You pay a deposit to have your drink served in a festive Christmas mug. When you’re done drinking for the day, you are supposed to return the mug to get your deposit back. I ordered a mulled wine, but did not like it.

I booked an experience through Air BnB to have our photos taken. I really do not enjoy having photos taken, but I treasure the photos and memories so I feel it’s worth it. I did the same thing a couple years ago in Japan. It’s just nice to have good quality photos to look back on. We met with the photographer at 6:30 and she walked us to her favorite photo spots. It took about 30 minutes and I really liked the vibe of the photographer. That’s another thing I like about the Air BnB experiences is that it gives you an opportunity to interact with a local and see the city from their perspective. I recommend checking out the experiences offered on Air BnB. 

By the time it ended, we were very hungry. We ate at La Petite Marie which was a French restaurant. The ambiance was nice and the food was great. Wine is cheaper than water so of course I ordered a glass of riesling to pair with my meal. 

France - Day 4

We woke up and walked back to the city center to grab breakfast. I heard about a bakery called L’Atelier 116 on Instagram and wanted to check it out. There were so many options but I ended up ordering a croque monsieur. While ordering, I realized I probably should have spent a little bit of time learning basic French phrases. Whoops! 

After breakfast, we parted ways so I could do some shopping. For me, the highlight was shopping at the French pharmacy. Again, thanks to Instragram, I had a list of recommendations and things to buy while in France:

• Nuxe body oil
• Bioderma micellar water
• Avene cicalfate cream
• Caudalie products
• Marvis toothpaste (it’s not French, but kept showing up as a recommendation on IG)

I also went to Galeries Lafayette, a large department store. Originally I was looking for a purse worn by Belly in The Summer I Turned Pretty. I think I found it, or at least something very similar, but I ended up picking out a different purse.

We met back up at the hotel and got ready for dinner and more Christmas markets. This time, we walked around the market  “At the Foot of the Grand Sapien”  near Place Kléber.

From there, we walked around looking for a place to have dinner. We settled on an Italian restaurant tucked away on one of the side streets. I had pasta and it was amazing. This time, the language barrier worked in my favor because I thought I ordered a glass of wine but I ended up with a lot more than a glass. 

After dinner, we went to check out a couple more small markets. First was the “Off Christmas Market” which I really enjoyed. It was very artsy with a focus on sustainability and social responsibility. The shops sold second hand and vintage items which was fun. Then we walked through the Advent Village which was already closing when we got there, but it seemed to be geared towards kids or families. 

At that point it was getting late so we walked back to the hotel. 

France - Day 3

We took a two hour train ride from Paris to Strasbourg, France. Strasbourg is in the Alsace region sitting near the border for France and Germany uniquely blending the two cultures. We spent three nights in this city which was the perfect amount of time to explore the many different Christmas markets. When we arrived we  started at the Quai des Délices (Dock of Delights) which was the gourmet market with the best regional wines and traditional food. It was the perfect first stop because we were hungry!

I started with a glass of Riesling wine from Cave du Roi Dagobert. I heard the Riesling wine in this region could be a lot dryer than expected (for me, a good thing) so I very much enjoyed this glass. I jumped right in with the most traditional food - tarte flambee  which is a round flatbread that features a crisp, thin crust, crème fraîche, caramelized onion, ham, and Gruyère cheese. So good!

From there, we walked the markets surrounding the cathedral. Seeing the carousel in front of the cathedral made me feel so happy and thankful to be experiencing Christmas in a place this magical. It’s said that the Alsace region inspired Disney’s fairytale village in Beauty and the Beast. Imagine the magic of Christmas time at Disney times a hundred. 

We walked back to the hotel (which is about a mile). Still jet lagged, I fell asleep very early. 

We woke up a few hours later around 10:30 pm very hungry. We went down to the hotel bar to see if they had anything to eat but the kitchen was closed. The bartender offered to make us “nachos” which was not really good but better than nothing. We closed out and went back to our room to call it a night. 

France - Day 1 and 2

 Day 1

We arrived in Paris around 1 pm. Thought we’d take a nap but ended up pretty much sleeping until the next day. 

Day 2

I woke up at 1 pm after sleeping for nearly 24 hours. We got dressed and headed to lunch somewhere near our hotel. After that we headed towards our first Christmas market! We took an Uber to the Tuileries garden where it was basically a carnival with rides, food, and craft items to buy. We walked through then decided to walk back to another market we passed along the way near Notre Dame cathedral. On the way we stopped to eat. After our second Christmas market we called an uber and headed back to the hotel. We went to bed. There’s so much to do in Paris but we’ll be back for three nights at the end of our trip. 

Catch Up

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. My last post was from my trip to Spain in 2021. Since then some highlights of where I’ve been to: 

- Mexico City 2023 (solo trip)

- Japan in October 2023 with most of the whole family. 

- Dublin, Ireland in March 2024 for St Patrick’s day.

- Mexico City November 2024

- Countless US cities for work and for fun!

By the end of this year I think my grand total number of countries visited is 11.  I don’t think that is a lot of countries but I travel domestically for work about once every month so it feels like I’m away quite often. 

Looking back on past posts I am amused by a couple things - I love that my posts in my 20s included the costs related to travel. At that point in life, it was top of mind but it’s also fun to compare prices to today. These days I’m at the age where I catch myself saying things like, “I’d rather pay a little extra to be a little more comfortable.” I’m also amused by the way COVID shaped that Europe 2021 vacation. I had to learn to go with the flow and be flexible when traveling.

I will have more updates soon from my last trip of the year (Christmas markets in France and Germany.)