Dec 25

Dec 25 Strasbourg - "The Capital of Christmas"

So I’ve pretty much missed out on every Christmas for the last 20 years. Such is the life of a pastry chef/chocolatier whose work load triples in the last 3 months of the year. By Christmas Day, I’m dead tired and pretty much useless. This year, my first post-La-Foret-Chocolate holiday season, has been very different!

This year, we decided to visit Strasbourg for their world famous Christmas markets! I love Christmas probably more than the average person, but this place was over the top!

To get there, we drove through the northern Vosges mountains to the region of Alsace. It’s still in France, but right on the border with Germany.

We were very lucky that the roads were clear. It had just snowed the day before and all the road safety signs had a holiday theme.

The old town is on an island in the river Ill. The entire island is pedestrianized for the Christmas markets, so we stayed in a hotel just on the other side of the river. We arrived in the middle of a cold snap - 25F daily highs - so it was nice to pop out for an hour at a time and then hurry back to warm up in the hotel.

First stop, get some warm spiced wine. It’s nice on a cold day, but the sugar and alcohol goes right to your head.

Looks like this guy needs a little liquid “Christmas cheer”!

Or maybe he just needs a hot pretzel. We shared a 3 cheese pretzel and it was one of the best things we ate all weekend!

There are no fewer than 11 separate markets in Strasbourg, all with a slightly different theme. Some are more craft oriented.

Some have artisan food producers. The food market is always busy and so pretty at night.

I resisted the temptation to buy up all these little nativity figurines. There were thousands to choose from - this is just a small portion of the display.

Alsace is know for its “pain d’épices” or spice bread. It’s kind of a drier version of gingerbread and frequently served with foie gras at the holidays.

You also see a lot of these little brioche people or “mannele”. They represent the 3 little children St. Nicolas brought back to life after they were pickled in salt by an evil butcher. No joke - that’s the story.

You can also find lots of fancy, modern pastries all around Strasbourg.

I love pastry, but I’m also drawn to artisan crafts. I wanted everything in this store, especially the giant blue baking dishes. Not enough room in the suitcase, so I opted for a couple of yards of the pretty fabric on the left. It’s a blend of linen and cotton and very sturdy. I can’t wait to make a Christmas tablecloth!

The storefronts are so appealing it’s hard not to shop! To try to keep the budget in check, we also did some cultural activities.

The cathedral of Strasbourg was very impressive…

Inside, there is an astronomical clock from 1843. It’s pretty elaborate and draws quite a few visitors.

We also visited the Museum of Alsace featuring sorts of Alsacian cultural artifacts including traditional costumes and tools.

The collections are displayed several adjoining timber frame houses from the 15th Century.

They had a very nice selection of kitchen items including these antique springerle molds.

Did the Alsacians invent the bundt cake? This pan doesn’t have the traditional kugelhopf shape. In case you were wondering, the kugelhopf is like panettone’s sadder cousin with less butter and less dried fruit.