We've made several visits to Strasbourg over the years and each time we have come away even more in love with this old Roman village.
Because you're in the Alsatian capital, you get both a German and French feel. I'll let Wiki give you the history of the area. But it is both old world romantic and very modern, thanks to the EU's presence.
The city straddles the Rhein and I'lll rivers and both German and French are spoken. But the French dialect, has a decidedly germanic accent. For example, Alsace is pronounced "al SAZZZ."
Our favorite part is the Old City, which is actually an island called Grande Île. The area around Notre Dame Cathédrale (see Review) is romantic and quaint (photos). Lots of small shops you can get lost in.
Now, if you're here during the Christmas Holidays, you're in for a real treat. For Strasbourg had been know for it's four hundred years old, open air market just outside of Notre Dame. It's called Christkindelsmärik, or the "Christ child market". Again, notice the germanic spelling.
This past year however, it was cut back some due to "green" considerations, the war in Ukraine and Russian natural gas cuts. Some of the Christmas lighting, outdoor heaters and seasonal ice rings were reduced. That was a blow to Strasbourg, since it bills itself as the "Capitale de Noël."
But another benefit of visiting Strasbourg and nearby Colmar, is all the wonderful Alsatian wineries nearby. In France, most of the good stuff is rarely made available for export, due to small and limited production quantities of the non-corporate wineries.
Ohh, so sad. So much wine and so little time. But on a personal note, I would like to thank my sister-in-law for retiring here! Clearly it will be a sacrifice on our part to visit her. LOL
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