A trip to Alsace

The Christmas market in Strasbourg.

Christmas markets are traditional in Alsace and most of the towns have their local Christmas market. These markets are becoming more and more popular throughout France due to the festive season atmosphere they evoke. The Christmas market in Strasbourg is the biggest in France.Last Friday we drove to Lorraine and stayed in a hotel in Phalsbourg, a picturesque town in Moselle which lies not far from the ropes of the Vosges. It is about 40 kilometres from Strasbourg and it is a Vauban fortified town well-known by lots of people who read a book called "L'ami Fritz" written by Herckman and Chatrian in 1864. The two men met when they were school boys and attended the same secondary school in Phalsbourg.On Saturday morning, our coach driver headed for our first destination which was Obernai in Alsace. Obernay is a beautiful town characterised by breathtaking timbered houses. Obernai is also famous for its beer production.We started our guided tour by visiting a gingerbread bakery. As it is a small business we were allowed to meet the few employees who were busy making the various gingerbread figurines and traditional Christmas decorations. We couldn't resist buying some personalized gingerbread hearts!!Then we continued our tour visiting the church where some nativity scenes created by Canadian artists were displayed. Some were so unusual that my husband and I have decided to make one for Christmas.

After a traditional lunch composed of "Choucroute de poissons" ( Fish and sauerkraut or sour cabbage) and a delicious white wine ( Alsace is also famous for its white wines), we headed for Strasbourg.The biggest Christmas market in Strasbourg lies around the cathedral and Place Broglie. Lots of visitors from France and Germany flock there to do their Christmas shopping. There are hundreds of stalls selling homemade handicrafts, toys and Christmas decorations. Crib figurines and wood carvings are also displayed and the atmosphere is festive. Difficult to resist buying some table decorations!!And you can smell various aromas from hot chestnuts, grilled sausages, onions, cheese to the aromas of gingerbread and "vin chaud" ( hot mulled wine) that keeps the body going in the cold winter air. Then as we were a bit tired of walking about in the crowds, we decided to stroll along the waterway to get to the most picturesque part of old Strasbourg " la petite France".

Fishermen, millers and tanners lived and worked there. The half-timbered houses date from the 16 and 17th centuries and their sloping roofs that open out onto lofts were the place where hides were once dried.

In the early evening we headed back for Phalsbourg to meet a group of people who had decided to go hunting. Hunting plays an important role in the life of people living in this part of France.

We all met around a bonfire to praise the brave hunters and honour their wild game. A branch of pine tree was given to each hunter as a trophy and the ceremony was very impressive only interrupted by horn players. Most people think that the " trompe de chasse" and the " cor de chasse" is the same instrument. The two instruments are so much alike that you can't tell them apart. However each instrument has specific features. For example the " trompe de chasse" is a bit longer than the " cor", the inner part of the bell is black and last but not least the tone of each instrument is different.
In the evening we all met in a traditional restaurant for a traditional dinner: Flammenkuche, bakehof and an Alsacian pie with cinnamon.

We all had too much to eat and said we would start a diet on Monday!!

After a good night's rest we continued our tour and visited a baker's workroom. We watched how Christmas cookies were made. Very interesting. Christmas cookies are based on family traditions. They are cut into various shapes related to Christmas. In France some people leave a cookie and a cup of coffee on the table for Santa Claus on Christmas eve.Finally we ended up that busy weekend in the hotel/restaurant where we stayed at and had a delicious meal before driving back home. On the way back to Paris we had a strong gale and pouring rain so it took us more time than we had expected to get home but we were indoors by 7.45 pm. All in all we had a brilliant weekend in Alsace . Vive l'Alsace!

Special thanks to Marie-Laure ( our guide on Saturday) Herv� ( the hunting organizer) Aline and to all the people who contributed to make these two days the most enjoyable.

Acknowledgements : photo ( sparkling christmas tree ) provided under Creative commons Licence by KaCey97007 via Flickr.