This past December, I visited “The Christmas Capitol of the World” located in Strasbourg, France near the France/Germany boarder. Here, you will see why Strasbourg suitably earns the title Capitale de Noel.
Never in my entire life had I seen a city so picturesque, from the amazingly detailed lights and decorations, the unique architecture throughout the city, and everything brimming with Christmas spirit. My weekend spent in Strasbourg was something I will never forget. 
I spent the weekend with a new friend, whom I met through my French teacher’s husband. Even though I speak more French than she speaks English (I don’t speak much French to give you a visual), we managed to have a fantastic weekend oohing and ahhing our way through Strasbourg. Besides inarticulate French and English, we discovered different forms of communication such as whistling, body and sign language and of course the MVP, google translate. The challenge of communication I’d say made this weekend even more special and entertaining. Meet my new friend, Georgia:
The first selfie we took as soon as we arrived! If our faces don’t display the look of pure excitement to be visiting the Christmas capital of the world, then I don’t know what does!
Unlike most cities with just one Christmas market, Strasbourg is the home to 10 different Christmas markets, totaling about 300 chalets in which you can find anything from Alsacien food and crafts (Alsace is the region of France where Strasbourg is located) to everything you need to decorate your Christmas tree and more. The markets are scattered throughout the city, and the most popular market surrounds the entire Strasbourg Cathedral:
This Cathedral is definitely one of the most beautiful cathedrals that I have ever laid my eyes on. And to see it lit up at night, surrounded by everything Christmas, with the smell of vin chaud (hot wine) and freshly made crepes in the air made it an unforgettable experience.
Another very popular market in Strasbourg is the one at Place Kléber. This market is also where Le Grand Sapin prominently stands, the tallest real Christmas tree in all of France, at 30 meters (near 100 ft) tall and is 90 years old. The tree stands magnificently in front of the beautiful buildings making for a great view of the square (as well as an exceptional place for instagram worthy photos #NoFilter). 
Besides being an instagrammer’s dream for photos, Place Kléber is a dream for ice skaters. Georgia loves to ice skate and even brought her own ice skates to glide around this Christmas wonderland.
Another part of town that we explored was called Petite France. Here is where we discovered the best warm apple cider and the most charming buildings located along the river!
As you can see, every inch of Strasbourg is decked out in Christmas decor:
Besides being totally mesmerized by everything in Strasbourg, we ate a lot of good food, including popular Alsacien food such as choucroute and flemmenkauch. One night we ate at a reservation only restaurant but managed to get in without a reservation. Here, we sat next to a girl traveling alone (also from France) and asked her (Florianne) to to join us! 
We all walked around after dinner, and then the next day had breakfast together and explored the town some more. It was so nice to meet Florianne and we hope to keep in touch to see her again!
Other adventures of Strasbourg included taking a river boat tour/cruise, trying tasteful treats such at pain d’epices (similar to gingerbread/ spice bread) and of course sipping on vin chaud (hot wine) while enjoying the town’s ambience. It was a great weekend spent with new friends exploring a magical Christmas town. I left Strasbourg filled with Christmas spirit and new stories to tell! I will forever be thankful for these travels and new experiences while abroad.
The Aud Blog 