The Bourg Bucket List: #1: Go to the Christkindelsmärik!

December is here! Which means it’s the holiday season; the time for lights, warm beverages, gift-giving and high spirits. Back in early November, I saw workers beginning to set up the attractions and began to get excited. I mean, I already knew that the Christmas markets here were a big deal, but there was also a full-on stage with lights, lanterns and a chandelier-lit walkway? It seemed too good to be true… But then days turned into weeks and before I knew it, it was the end of November and the first weekend of the Christmas season here in Strasbourg. So of course, with blog in mind, I recorded some of the sights! And just in time too, my fellow Frenchman Karen came over to the Bourg from Paris for a visit just to see these famous markets. And without question, we went to visit these famous markets, crossing off another task on the Bucket list. We hit the ground running and visited the three main markets (out of 12 total!) Let the festivities begin!

Even though my face in the picture doesn’t show it, I was super excited to go out and explore the markets! The first one was at Place Broglie, the Christkindelsmärik, which is the main market, full of traditional holiday foods, treats, and gifts for giving to loved ones. Karen and I roamed around the super-packed-with-tourists market with a hot cup of vin chaud in hand, a traditional holiday spiced wine drink here in France.

These hand-painted gingerbread ornaments are one of the various unique Christmas-themed items being sold by local Strasbourgeois artisans.

Next we walked along the tram tracks over to the nearby Place Kléber to see the other market stalls located in the square, as well as the giant sapin de Noël that towers over all the passers-by.

The tree was amazingly tall!

A view of Place Kléber at Christmastime.

Next we walked further into the city-center towards the cathedral to check out the markets over there. The crowds by this time in the day were super thick, so it was difficult to walk around. But we were determined as ever to check every market out!

A letter to Père Noël.

This is the ice-skating rink located right behind the cathedral!

Traditional Alsatian costume.

Literally all the buildings throughout Strasbourg are decorated with thousands of brilliantly sparkly lights.

This is probably my favorite street in all of Strasbourg :)

The city of Strasbourg at Christmastime is seriously a sight to be seen. All of the joy, attention to detail and overall spirit of the entire city changes during this time. The lights not only make the Bourg the brightest city in all of France, but it literally lights your heart up, conveniently during the most wonderful time of the year. It’s getting harder and harder to think about how I’m leaving this twinkling gem of a city, and the amazing experience I had at the Christmas markets definitely do not help. You don’t see this kind of spirit back in the States, that’s for sure. I am going to make the most of this classic Strasbourg tradition until my very last day here!