Christmas destination in France? The choice is obvious for us...Alsatian it has to be! Alsace has been famed for their magical Christmas decorations and the father of Christmas' traditions. In fact, the original Christmas Tree originated from Selestat, a town in Alsace. In deed, our journey through the wine route brought us through loads of pastel coloured half-timbered houses that looked like they have been sugar coated. Felt like we were walking on a Christmas log cake!
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| The little Venice in Colmar, since the houses were only accessible via the waterways in ancient times. |
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| See what I mean? Colmar is filled with pastel coloured half timbered houses that really look sugar-coated! |
We based ourselves in Colmar, and visited Turckheim, Selestat and Strasbourg. Personally, I prefer the atmosphere in Colmar. It seems more traditional, and the town is much more charming than Strasbourg, which I think is no different from other cities. Although Strasbourg is the capital of Christmas, but Colmar had a more magical feel perhaps due to the architecture in the old town. Check out their Christmas markets, and you'll find loads of handmade crafts by the local craftsmen.
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| Artisan wood craft |
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| Hand painted glass candle holders |
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| Hand painted metal mugs/jugs |
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| Iconic half-timbered houses for Christmas decorations |
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| Santa Claus Candies! |
This is Strasbourg's scene, honestly we didn't quite enjoy the capital of Christmas. The Christmas market seems less traditional, and most of the goods look like they were imported. The Georgian village was also a disappointment, definitely over-rated!
We felt a little handicapped without our car in this trip, public transport in rural France is a total joke, especially on public holidays. But we didn't want to miss the famed wine routes of Alsace, so we skipped the more visited villages and settled with Turckheim which can be reached by the train. We were pleased with our find, it is after all still a grand crus estate.
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| Check out the Stork nest on top of the tower! Somehow, Alsace has a soft spot for storks since it is the region's emblem. |
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| The French name their roads according to what you find there, so at Rue Des Cigognes, what do you find? Cigognes of course (ie. Stork bird) |
Alsace is particularly good for sweet wines; muscat, moelleux, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. Through the wine routes, you can also savour the magnificent landscape craved by the Vosages in France and the Black Forest in Germany.
From the town of Selestat, also reachable by train, you can access the Chateau Haut Koenigsbourg via a shuttle service. The schedule is rather erratic, so check the net to play safe. Word of caution, the tourist offices in Colmar and Strasbourg cannot be trusted with regards to the schedule, so it is best to call the shuttle direct for any confirmation.
The interior of the castle isn't much, but the view is something to shout about.
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| Panoramic view from the castle |
Selestat is also the town where the Christmas Tree originates from. Traditionally, people used their harvests such as nuts and fruits as decorations, but there was a poor harvest on a particular year, and people started making glass globes to replace the decorations instead.
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| An exhibition on the history of Christmas Tree decorations since the 15th century. It started from just apples and hosts. |
And so...we proceeded to Switzerland for New Year celebrations.
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| Birds, ducks and swans have somewhat become part of the tourists' attractions at Lake Luzerne |
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| Can't miss the cruise on Lake Luzerne for a taste of white capped mountains and rustic villages |
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| On the way up to Mt. Rigi Klum - feels like heaven here |
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| What better way to enjoy winter in a outdoor spa? |
Continuing our trip with the Wilhelm Tell Express route to Bellinzona - the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. Stark difference in architecture and industrial activities.
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| We broke our trip by spending a night in Zernez (St. Moritz is too expensive for a night stop), and enjoyed an ice-hockey match. There are endless sledge runs in this region as well! |
Last stop at Zermatt, base of Matterhorn. Beautiful village with loads of winter activities. We opted for a hike to the mid slope villages. Essentials for winter hikes: slopes can get slippery especially at a gradient, so try to get detachable spikes from the sports shop. There are the ankle type, which I got as a New Year's Day present from a kind soul in Zermatt, and also the elastic disc type which I think is more effective and versatile for different shoe types. The Student survived with track shoes and thermal socks, so there is no particular need for snow boots, although I find it very comfortable to walk in thick layers of snow.
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| Ancient barns used for storage and keeping animals |
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| Pit stop for a cuppa cocoa by the mountains |
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| Hike trails are marked very clearly here, no need for a map actually. But trails are not lit, and night falls early in winter, so plan well. |
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| Love the night scape of Zermatt |
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| The Après-ski scene here is really vibrant, this Eskimo bar looks really chic, but I think they need to be hotel guests. |
We based ourselves in Taesch, the last village that allow cars before Zermatt. On New Year's Eve, we wanted to experience fireworks with the snow-capped mountains at the background, and was worried that Taesch may not have a celebration like Zermatt. But surprise! There were also fireworks in Taesch...I believe it was beautiful, because we only saw the reflections of the colours through our chalet windows, and fell right asleep when they went BOOM the fifth round....:) 2013 is set to a great start!
Indeed it is...I was 8 weeks pregnant when we went on this trip...
Flip side for pregnant ladies having even the slightest morning sickness:
1) Since this is winter, we can only have our meals inside the restaurants, however, the odour in the restaurants can really make a pregnant woman VERY uncomfortable.
2) Going on the boat ride with altitude sickness = a queasy stomach that will throw out all your breakfast.
3) Cheese fondue makes me sick, although I used to love it. Plus, I can't have alcohol, so I can't enjoy the meal as much.
4) Going up and down the mountains plus altitude sickness in the trains/buses will also make your vertigo worse.
5) There were a humongous amount of people smoking anywhere any time, which means more passive smoke.
6) You can't go beyond 2,000 ft, so this cancels out a lot of sightseeing.
I went ahead with the trip as I thought that my morning sickness is not very serious to start with, but turns out, the altitude and smoke did make it worse. So if you are in the same situation as me, please think twice about going to Switzerland in your 1st trim.
