Strasbourg – End of Christmas Market Cruise

We have left Germany and are now in France!

We have been to Strasbourg several times but never in the winter months.  We had thought about taking the train from Paris during December, several years ago, to see the Christmas Market but never made it happen.  

The historic town with its cobbled lanes, half-timbered homes, giant stork nests, and impossible-to-resist pastry shops are hard to pass up for sure.  Strasbourg is a city with deep connections to both France and Germany having been ruled by both countries over the centuries.  Enchanting half-timbered houses line the canals of Petite France, one of the oldest districts, and the medieval cathedral—a religious institution has stood in its spot for 3,000 years—is extraordinary. 

Strasbourg calls itself the Capital of Christmas and really goes all out for the holidays. The Christmas tree on Place Kléber towers over hundreds of stalls—but it’s only one part of the market, which spreads through 10 neighboring locations, all of them both historic and wonderfully decorated. We focused our attention to the market around the Cathedral.

After a short coach ride, we walked the merry streets to get to the Cathedral and its adjacent Market.  

Once we made it to the Cathedral, I checked on a restaurant we had visited in the past that had a major focus on cheese – La Cloche à Fromage.  Unfortunately, it was fully booked for lunch so we ended up in a very nice place a few doors down.  Louisa, the Cruise Director, joined us for lunch and it was a very nice time allowing us all to get to know each other better.

After lunch, we headed out to look over more of the market.

This Christmas Market River Cruise has been quite an adventure.  While there is one more stop, Basel, it’s not likely we will visit its market with all the other things that are happening.  I was very pleased to have Barbara take time out of her schedule to visit the Ship.  I had met Barbara a couple of years ago on our first UniWorld Mystery Cruise and have delighted to take over 200 plus selfies with her since that time.  

Our group of ‘Framily’ consisted of family and new friends and it was an enjoyable experience.  Who knows, maybe we will reconnect on a future adventure.  Here are a few pictures of our adventure that didn’t make the original posting.

Did I mention that Bill liked a lot of bread?

Some group shots of Tiyeme, Michael, Chris, Bill and Theresa, Terri and Jason

Until Next time!  Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.  

This may end our Christmas Market Cruise, but we are heading out to Normandy with Beth to be with our son Ryan and his husband Chris for the next couple of weeks and then to Wiesbaden to be with our entire family for Christmas.  There are lots of adventures yet to come so stay tuned.

Your comments are always appreciated.