The Twinkling Spirit of Strasbourg

Christmas time in Strasbourg. Everything about it is special– the city, the markets, the sounds, smells and the lights. Oh, the lights. They were as captivating as those in Lyon but in a more traditional way. The markets filled the streets with small wooden shops each lit and stuffed full of goodies for the holidays. The place was packed with people – happy, laughing, and smiling as they jostled down the narrow corridors between market stalls. The experiences started the moment we set foot in the cobblestoned street.

Anytime I arrive in a new place, I feel a sense of excitement for the adventure and exploration of it. Here, I could barely contain myself as we dropped the bags, grabbed umbrellas (there was a slight drizzle that stopped completely after we arrived), and headed out the door with map in hand, of course. And so it began. The street in front of our hotel had a ceiling of white lights with large snowflake pendants. We walked down the street under the lights and ran into the first little market stalls – small, wooden stalls lit and decorated. This particular market was for locally made products – like Munster cheese, fresh and dried mushrooms, honey, spiced breads, and sausages. The next set of stalls had ornaments, pretzels (which Mike couldn’t resist), gingerbread, and, of course, hot spiced wine or vin chaud (which I couldn’t resist). There we were, standing in the streets of Strasbourg, in the middle of a market, holding hot wine and surrounded by charming buildings - all within thirty minutes of arriving!

The buildings alone were worth trip. They were clearly indicative of the Alsace region of France, particularly in the La Petite France (check) section of the city. It looked like bits of Germany and Switzerland had been rolled up and plopped down in France. The buildings were constructed in the classic exposed beam construction so representative of this area. Between the deep chestnut-colored beams, the plaster came in a variety of colors - white, yellows, greens and deep orange – and some were richly decorated, too. The timbers gently sagged and shingle roofs slumped in the middle as though the buildings decided to sit, relax, and stay for awhile. I stopped and stared every few feet during my morning runs at each new building or street filled with charm. During any season, this would be an enchanting place, but at Christmas, it takes on a whole different character.

We heard about the markets of Strasbourg, but the surprise was the decorated streets. They were festively dressed in lights like blinking stars, snowflakes, red wreaths draped with curtains of red lights, shooting stars, angels, lanterns, balls, garlands, and even Baccarat crystal chandeliers (protected in plastic coverings) hanging over the streets. Each street had a different pattern of lights so that we could navigate our way through the city by the stars – or the angels, or the wreaths. But the decorations didn’t stop there. Shops elaborately decorated their storefronts, too. Huge stuffed hearts hung from the front of the tourist office. Plump teddy bears sat over doors and windows. Ribbons, bows, balls, birch twigs, greenery, Hansel and Gretel, and more graced pasty shops, jewelry stores, foie gras shops, and restaurants. Walking the streets in the evenings was a feast for the eyes. And I never got full. I could have wandered the streets for days soaking up the creativity and the festive atmosphere.



The rambling streets connect Strasbourg’s main plazas. Spacious Place Kleber housed the Grand Sapin de Noel (the grand Christmas tree), and it was indeed grand. The tree towered over the buildings that embrace the square, its lights providing a festive backdrop to singers, Christmas tree vendors, and hundreds of revelers taking pictures in front of the tree. Lacking a photographer, Mike became adept at aiming the camera in our general direction and getting us both in the frame – mostly anyway!

While the Christmas tree was grand, it was the cathedral that is the imposing presence in the city. Construction of the cathedral began in the 1100s. Today, they have a full time staff of artisans who maintain it, still hand carving replacement pieces (check). The cathedral is a soft pink stone with a spire that is the tallest one from medieval times. The spire soars above all the other buildings and can be seen across the city, but it is so tall that it is difficult to see from the square that it occupies. From the outside, the intricate windows look like stone versions of the lace that is made in this area. The carvings of the cathedral walls provide a textured and imposing backdrop for the small market stalls that huddle around the base. Inside are 17th century tapestries – not my cup of tea, but the artistry was evident – and a clock built in the 1500s on the principles of Copernicus. The clock still works using reproductions of the original mechanisms. We missed the big moment when all the parts of the clock are in motion but we returned to see the small movement that occurs every 15 minutes. And it was small. We waited with the crowds, camera ready, and then – a little, sculpted child rang a bell, somewhere on the top something advanced and it was done – for another 15 minutes. Still, the clock has been doing this for hundreds of years. Mike figured out how to tell the date from a large circle with a woman’s hand pointing to the month and day. The clock was impressive, but my favorite was the ringing bells. I heard them peeling across the still-dark city as I ran in the mornings. Mike and I stood at the base of the cathedral at noon, amidst the swarms of jostling crowds around the market stalls, and with musicians playing for coins, as the deep bell rang from high above. We could feel each strike and the reverberations in between as the sound bounced off the buildings of the square and into each person. It felt like my insides were vibrating along with the ringing bells. We couldn’t hear our own conversation and the musicians sounded small and tinny by comparison. There is something simple and majestic about the deep, rich sound of bells.

And then there were the markets. They were in each square and vacant spot in the city. Place Gutenberg was filled with book vendors – appropriately so. The space around the cathedral was packed with market stalls and an ice rink for kids tired of shopping. But the biggest one was at Place Broglie where a Christmas market has been held in Strasbourg continually since 1570. The market was at once old, new, traditional and contradictory. An archway of green lights and trees announced our arrival at the market place. We saw the lights before we saw the balloon vender selling Christmas tree shaped balloons decorated with Winnie the Pooh. I found myself looking into the faces of Tigger (T-I-double Ger-Er), Piglet, and Eore…in Strasbourg…in France. After that shock, we pushed our way through the throngs gobbling up all things Christmas. Stalls twinkled and sparkled with colorful ornaments hanging or in bins. The ornaments were big and small, round, stars, drops, anything you could want. We weren’t buying ornaments, but just to see the colors, shiny and bright, was to feel happy. Another stall was filled with Christmas lights, blinking, flashing, and dripping in a holiday rainbow.
Do-it-yourself crèches were popular, too. Small and large mangers sat empty and forlorn waiting to be filled with tiny shepherds, wise men, lambs, cows, geese, a variety of Marys and Josephs, and even an elephant. Cities of tiny people waited to be purchased. A Noah’s arc of animals sat expectantly, and a forest of trees grew to their full height of four inches. Many of them found happy homes. And then there were the food stalls – one after another. Mike and I grabbed a hot, spiced orange juice (amazing!) from a friendly vendor (who offered to take our picture) to warm us as we moved from stall to stall, standing and staring at the food: gingerbread people and hearts, spiced breads, kugels, stollens, chocolate covered fruit on a stick, candies, pretzels, glazed chestnuts, macaroons, and so much more. Every corner had a stand selling hot drinks. There was mulled wine either red or white (white wines are an Alsacian specialty), spiced orange or apple juice and hot chocolate. We needed more days and a lot more exercise to try it all! And the shops lining the streets were a feast of food shops, too - fancy pastries (with people lined up inside to buy them), gourmet chocolates, specialty meats, and foie gras. This area is where foie gras started. Mike’s highlight was when we were lured into a local food store by the delightful things in the window and discovered they were giving tastings of freshly grilled foie gras served over sautéed mushrooms with a sprinkle of coarse salt. I have a love-hate thing going with foie gras: I love the taste and hate the way it comes into being, but I have to admit this was good. Just a bite was enough.

We had more than just a bite of the spirit of Christmas. We came to Strasbourg for the markets, but in the end, it wasn’t the Christmas markets that were the highlight. The lights, decorations, happy smiles, gleeful children, ringing bells, and warm drinks on a cold day on a street in Strasbourg, all exuded holiday spirit and that’s the best souvenir we took home.