On Saturday I joined le Chef, Pomegrenade, and another friend in Strasbourg, Alsace. Christmas markets are a big event here in France, and while Paris has its own on the Champs Élysées, Strasbourg is known for going all out when 'tis the season.
First stop after my train pulled in was a patisserie where we plotted our very stealthy entrance into the hotel. A word to the wise: the Strasbourg Best Western takes its policy of not letting 4 people stay in a double very seriously. While we discussed, I chowed down on a bûchette de noël and some combination of fondue and pastry shell called a frillon (sp?) After a nap we were ready for some shopping! I made few super secret purchases and soon we were all freezing. After searching high and low for salad (veggies were very much in order after the frillon - French for heart attack wrapped in deliciousness), we found some vin chaud which was tangy and spiced and most importantly warm. We took turns holding it in our little mittened hands.
The next day we did more serious Christmas Shopping and made the requisite visit to the cathedral. It was very nice, very large, very medieval. When we got there, a children's concert was just ending. French children singing Feliz Navidad was pretty adorable. For dinner we had couscous, which came in enormous cauldrons that could have fed a family of six. We messed up and ordered 3. After that we wandered around looking for nightlife and admiring the lights. Great lights, no nightlife. The next day it started snowing buckets in Paris.
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