I know that this post is well overdue, but we have spread ourselves so thin with sightseeing and walking that I have been far too exhausted at the end of every day to crank out a blog post. However, thanks to the excellent Wifi connection at a friend's house in London where we are staying, I am able to send out this quick little update. Actually, to begin this post, I have to give a shout-out to my iPhone. While I am currently writing this post on my dad's little Acer computer that we brought along with us, my trusty little phone has been my lifeline to the outside world throughout the course of this trip. Thanks to generally great Wifi connections in our hotels, I have felt close to friends and loved ones despite the several thousands of miles that separate us right now. So thank you, iPhone :)
Moving on...I had been missing Strasbourg dearly in the two-and-a-half years since I last visited it. I studied there a whopping three years ago (I know you older readers may take offense to this next melodramatic statement, but boy, does that make me feel old! It feels like the study abroad stage of my life was only yesterday!). Hopefully none of you want to punch me right now! Allie and I visited the city at the end of our study abroad year as a day trip from Paris, and the city was certainly different in early-summer warm weather, not to mention SUNLIGHT, something I had been severely lacking when I had left the city in December.
When we pulled in to the train station a week ago, I felt as though I had never left. I think that, even in my state of exhaustion (after having made it through a transatlantic flight during which I had slept little, and then a connecting flight on an itty bitty flight that would have been terrifying had I not conked out before safety instructions were even read), I had butterflies in my stomach. I was reconnecting with a little part of myself that I had been missing over these past three years. And I was coming back at CHRISTMAS, the part of the year when I most fell in love with Strasbourg. Even as the weather turned gray and dismal and the temperatures plummeted, even as I wanted to rip my hair out while studying for finals in my seven (count 'em, seven!) classes, I had the Marché de Noël beckoning to me from downtown, just a short tram ride or a slightly longer walk away.
Strasbourg is the self-proclaimed Capital of Christmas, and it sure isn't afraid to flaunt it! My mom and I dropped our bags at our hotel, and, since our room wasn't yet ready, went out again immediately to begin exploring (even if we had been able to get into our room, it would have been unwise to nap at that point). We walked around the city for a few hours, grabbed lunch and then went back to the hotel for a little bit to crash. Each new corner we rounded, each street we went down, felt like greeting an old friend, and I was so happy that I had gotten the chance to share this part of myself with my mom. We did end up napping for about 2 hours, and then, with renewed resolve, walked around the city some more, at that point, blanketed in darkness.
All of the markets are wonderful to look at during the day, but at night, once the lights are turned on...wow, what a sight to behold! It really is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, resplendent in its Christmas glory. Tucked away in little town squares are rows of Christmas Market stalls for as far as the eye can see. In those stalls are young adults making crepes, which really is an art and a science; vendors selling everything from strands of Christmas lights, build-your-own nativity scenes, ornaments of every kind, the largest gingerbread cookies you have ever seen, and hot wine, among other things. In Place Kléber, one of the main town squares sits the most beautiful (not to mention one of the tallest) Christmas trees you've ever seen, and it certainly puts the White House Christmas Tree to shame!!! Essentially all of our time in Strasbourg was spent winding down little side streets and crossing town squares, taking in the lights, the smells, the sounds, and the general joyful spirit that you couldn't help but adopt for yourself. To partially alter a quote from Love Actually, if ever I grow weary with the state of the world, I picture myself wandering through the Strasbourg Marché de Noël, which, for me, is, however infantile it may be, the pinnacle of joy and happiness. People from all over the world come to this much-celebrated market, and I was overjoyed to be wandering through it with my mom.
After two full days in Strasbourg, we headed to Paris, which, since this post is getting wordy (true to form), I will have to save for another day. Once I get home and am able to make some sense of the hundreds of pictures I've taken, I will post some of those as well, so that you can see a little of how I spent my Christmas vacation! I hope that you all had a marvelous Christmas with family, friends, and other loved ones!
An Enduring Hunger
10 years ago
