Strasbourg (Alsace), France
Have you ever heard of The Capital of Christmas? No, I’m not referring to the North Pole! I’m talking about Strasbourg (formerly known as Alsace), located in Northeast France, bordering Germany. Every year, millions of people make their way to The Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt, one of the oldest and most famous Christmas Markets in the world! I don’t know about y’all, but for me, the Christmas season is my absolute favorite time of year. Perhaps because I find myself mesmerized by the festive decor and beautifully lit streets. Or maybe because I am surrounded by festive music and the holiday cheer. People seem to be so much more relaxed, open-minded, and generous. The holiday season is a contagious vibe that brings society together. So naturally, it was no-brainer for my friends and I to spend some time in Strasbourg in December!
Day 1: Our group was split in two, with Joel and I arriving first. Upon arriving to the train station, we hauled our luggage on a 12 minute walk over to our Airbnb. As we were walking, we realized a lot of places were closing up for the night, and we needed to haul ass if we wanted to get some food! Our Airbnb was on the 5th floor with no elevator, which is normal in France, especially older towns. Joel and I looked up, then at each other, our eyes said, “well shit, let’s do this!” I have never felt more like body builder than in those 10 minutes! Restaurants were out of the question since we were still waiting for the rest of our group to arrive, so went to the local market to get anything that was easy to prepare. The mini markets in France are freaking top notch because they offer a lot of on-the-go items that are fresh, affordable and yummy. I was able to pick up salad, flatbread, charcuterie, cheese, olives, pate, dessert and other random snacks too!. We also stocked up on water, juice, vodka, and wine. 5 minutes and 100 euros later, we were very grateful to be lugging back goodies and to know we weren’t starving for the evening! About an hour later, dinner was ready our group were finally reunited. We each had endured some crazy travel story in order to get to Strasbourg due to Omicron, so to say we were excited was a total understatement. We drank, ate, laughed, took many selfies and danced into the wee hours of the night. It was perfect.
Day 2: We planned on a slow start so that we could sleep in and get re-engergized after all that travel (and vodka). In the early afternoon we took a stroll around Quatiers Central (downtown Strasbourg) and just marveled at the beautiful historic architecture. We were planning on having a big dinner but needed a snack to hold us over. We walked to the Grande Ile where all the adorable food/market stalls were. Pretzels, vin chaud (Spiced Mulled Wine), adorable trinkets - H E A V E N ! We carefully calculated our stomach availability and pastry choices so we could try as many things as we could without filling ourselves up too much, but of course committed to a full cup of vin chaud each.
We decided to head towards dinner reservation and bar hop along the way. It was a wonderful way to explore neighborhoods and see where the locals go. Some of the best bars and restaurants I’ve been to are the hidden gems nobody has heard of.
A bonus of exploring on an afternoon in the winter time is seeing the transition from day to night. By the time we finished up at the bars the sun had set and the town illuminated. I remember my eyes widening and my mood shifting as the sun signed off and the city lit up. It was like I was on a Christmas movie set - except this was real life. It was so surreal, it felt like I was in a dream. Alsace is adorable and charming on it’s own, but the way they treat Christmas is next level.
We excitedly checked into Ancienne Douane (TripAdvisor). I had never tried Alsatian food before, but Google told me German sauerkraut and pork would be a fair assumption. We ordered:
Tarte à l’Oignon, Salade Verte (Onion Pie, Green Salad)
Saucisses de Strasbourg, Frites (Strasbourg Sausages, French Fries)
Choucroute de la Douane (Sauerkraut Strasbourg Style)
Faux-Filet (env. 180 g), Beurre Maître d’Hôtel, Frites (Rib Eye, Maitre d’hotel Sauce, French Fries)
Pavé de Saumon à l’Oseille et Spätzle (Salmon Steak with Spätzle)
Suprême de Volaille (env. 200 g) Sauce Crème aux Champignons et Spätzle (Chicken with Cream Sauce and Mushrooms, Spätzle)
Moelleux au Chocolat Maison, Glace Vanille (Soft Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Ice Cream)
Glace ou Sorbet 3 Boules (Ice Cream or Sorbet 3 Scoops)
Apple Tart
After all the Covid stained travel complications, this first meal together was incredibly appreciated. We were so humbled just to finally be sitting at a restaurant together. We kicked off our meal with champagne and ordered a variety of dishes to share — arguably the best best part of traveling in groups! I knew the meal was going to be a hit when they brought out extra spicy mustard. If y’all know me, y’all know I love my hot sauce and mustards. THIS SPICY MUSTARD WAS EVERYTHING. The mustard here electrified our taste buds. After that moment, I made it my mission to find, taste and bring home as many as I could!
Every dish solid, but my standout stars were the onion tart and, actually, the chicken entree. I loved the onion tart because it wasn’t overly rich, rather, was the perfect bite of savory. I love chicken but when I’m out it’s not the first entree I gravitate to ordering. With this entree though, the perfectly cooked chicken combined with the pillowy spätzle, savory mushrooms and velvety sauce knocked it out of the park!
Day 3: We went on an all-day tour to explore castles, villages and wine! We met our charming guide at the Colmar train station, and from there we explored Hunawihr, Riquewihr, Eguisheim, Turckheim, Koenigsbourg and Lauch. There are so many little towns. Each one has its own charm that melts my heart a little bit — by the end of the day I was complete mush!
We had lunch at Restaurant La Tour Turckheim (TripAdvisor) as recommended by our tour guide. It was definitely a wild card for me because I didn’t recognize any dishes besides the salted meats over sauerkraut. Luckily, my friends and I decided to family style. We ordered:
Bouchée à la Reine (Chicken Vol au Verts)
Choucroute Garnie (Salted Meat and Sauerkraut)
Tête de Veau (Calf’s Head)
Boeuf Gros Sel (Beef Coarse Salt)
Saint Jacques à la plancha, puree trufee et jus (Grilled scallops, truffle puree and jus)
Jarret de Porc Grill (Pork Knucle)
Bouchée à la Reine (Chicken Vol au Verts)
I was ecstatic to be able to try so many things - but the standout stars are the Pork Knuckle and the Chicken Vol au Vents. I knew that Germany was known for pork knuckles dishes, and according to the internet, it takes about 4 hours to make, no wonder restaurants often run out of this dish! My other favorite for sure was the Chicken Vol au Vents. WOW, JUST WOW. As soon as I saw the dish come closer to our table, I instantly began to drool. I know this dish doesn’t super impressive, but the way they prepped the chicken and mushrooms, they were cooked to perfection. That sauce was next level shit - it wasn’t overly rich, it was the most perfectly balanced dish.
Our indulgent lunch prompted a need to walk it off before we hit a food coma! We explored Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg — this general area had a heavy overcast but there was something really serene about it. I felt like I was in a dreamy Taylor Swift music video with a gentle piano melody playing in the background. Afterwards, we made our way to Lauch, a little down in Colmar, our last stop before we said goodbye to our guide and headed to our dinner reservation. We were in the cutest, tiny little village, the entire neighborhood lit up as the sun began to set. They even had little children dressed up opening up windows to represent the 25 days of Christmas promptly at 5PM and played music! it was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! The town is so small that there was 1 set of restrooms and 3 stands that sold snacks/trinkets. We were so charmed and sad to leave but were also starving by then, so off we went to dinner!
We dined at Les Racines (TripAdvisor) located in the heart of Colmar. The restaurant gave modern vibes; I specifically remember being excited to sit down in their plush chairs after a full day of walking! I really appreciated that Les Racines kept it simple when it came to the menu. You could order 3 items (appetizer, entree and dessert) for a mere 39 euro or A La Carte! Each category had 3-4 items to choose from. It made decision making really easy. We ordered:
Fleischnakas aux Escargots (pastry with snails)
Fish of the Day
French Onion Soup
Foie Gras
Every Dessert on the Menu Board
This restaurant was so freaking good to us. Although there was a bit of a language barrier, they were so sweet and time flew by because we were so comfortable. My favorite dish was the pastry with escargots!!! It was the perfect savory bite, and we loved it so much we had to order another round! The food was comforting, prices were reasonable, and service was genuine. As we closed the tab, we realized the last train back to Strasbourg was leaving in 10 minutes and we were a 10 minute brisk walk away! WE HAULED ASS AND RAN ALL THE WAY TO THE STATION. Completely panicked and out of breath, we made it to our seats! We made it back to our Airbnb and enjoyed wine while we packed for our next adventure.
Oh Strasbourg, what a beautiful region. Every town had its own charm, cobblestone streets, and a unique way of celebrating Christmas. The mix of French and German food kept me intrigued and surprised. That spicy mustard changed my life. Before our train left the next day, I took one last stroll around a few neighborhoods, taking in the beautiful architecture, feeling the crisp air, embracing the sunshine. I wish I had more time, but from what I was able to conquer in three days, my heart was full and it will have to suffice until next time.
