Christmas In Alsace

Precious bavarian style villages nestled between vineyards, kitchy holiday decorations, traditional Christmas markets and white wine sum up our holiday in Alsace. We thought it was the quintessential place to celebrate Christmas. Made even more so by the light layer of frost/snow that covered everything while we were there. The region is in northeastern France (close to the German border), but has a distinct German flavor. After many years of trading hands between the two countries, Alsace has evolved to be a melange of both cultures: French language mixed with German-style architecture (half-timbered houses with wood carvings and flower boxes in the windows) and a local cuisine that is often described as a combination of hearty German dishes with the subtleties of French cooking.

We enjoyed the onion tarts (sort of like quiches) and the tart flambees (sort of like thin-crust pizzas). The region is probably most know for "choucroute" (sauerkraut that is usually served with some sort of pork) and Munster cheese. We didn't really like the Munster cheese. It was very salty and didn't have much flavor. I hate to admit it, but the Americanized version is much better! The cheese is produced in the Munster Valley. Funny, I never realized that Munster cheese came from France.

While both of us are partial to red wines, we found some whites that we really enjoyed, especially the Gewurztraminers. We even bought a few bottles. It was sort of bizarre drinking white wine when it was literally freezing outside.

Below are some pictures from our trip.

We had fun visiting Christmas markets and shopping for gifts to bring/send home to our families.

We visited several villages along the "Route des Vins" or Alsatian Wine Route and then stopped for a night in Strausbourg on our way back to Brussels. We enjoyed looking at the decorations, tasting wine, and kipping into cozy restaurants for hot meals to warm us up.

Strausbourg

This is the Haut Koenigsbourg Castle. It was situated on a mountain. It was cold and icy down below, but warm and sunny above the fog. As we drove up the mountain we watched the temperatures on the termometer rise and the ice on the trees disappear. The warm sunshine was a welcome surprise.

We took a Christmas Day Hike to the Trois Chateaux Ruines. Just like the Castle, it was warm and sunny at the top. After our hike, we had a late Christmas lunch at a restaurant that was located in the mountains.

Some pictures of snow and ice. It was interesting to see the grape vines frozen.

We stayed in a lovely bed & breakfast or chambre d'hote. It was a small house owned by a very nice Alsatian couple. They didn't speak any English so I had a chance to use my French. They even invited the guests of the house to have an aperitif together on Christmas night b/c everything was closed.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!