Escapades around the 3 Borders Country

I thank you for following this visit of the sublime City of Trier and see you soon for a Christmas Markets Special around the 3 Borders Country ...

Karim:)

Welcome to Saarbrücken !

Saarbrücken tells the story of two Cities, Alt Sarrbrücken and St Johann reunited in 1900 to create a metropolis with human dimensions, resolutely modern but also proud of its heritage showing in the picturesque little Streets and squares of the historic district, making it a vibrant and cosmopolitan City with many visitors coming from the neighbouring countries.

Here, in the 3 Borders Country one goes out to enjoy a drink or a dinner with friends in Germany or Luxembourg, very naturally as France, Luxembourg or Germany are well within a 30 to 45 minutes reach by car or by train.

Many people from the Lorraine region are regularly shopping in Germany and admit that many casual everyday items are better value for money accross the border.

Just like many people who live nearby, I always enjoy being in the ever effervescent atmosphere of Saarbrücken, a City in which there is always something happening and walking through its historic district with its many cafés, bistrots, restaurants and boutiques always has a little taste of holidays to it.

On this 23rd November, snow was in the air and the City of Saarbrücken was putting the final touch to its "Christkindl Markt" or Christmas Market which will bring its magic until December, 23rdall along the Streets and squares going from the Bahnhof Strasse or Railway Station St up to St Johanner Markt which is at the very heart of the historic pedestrian district.

The scent of freshly cut fir trees associated with the delicious scent coming from the roasted chestnuts sold in little black and red locomotives which are punctuating the Christmas Market and will accompany in your discovery of the Christmas Arts & Crafts ranging from glass, metal, fabrics, leather and wood items, with here and there the appetizing scent of the Flamkuchen, grilled sausages, pancakes, Apfelstrudel and of course the traditional Glûhwein or Mulled Wine to warm yourself up in the nicest possible way.

Saarbrücken "Christkindl Markt" is one of Germany's most popular Christmas Market and its star attraction is without a doubt the flying Santa Claus who magically flies over St Johanner Markt every evening at 17.00 and 19.00 with an added show at 21.00 on the week-end.

The amateur of hstory and beautiful architecture will delight in discovering the St Johann Basilica, the ancient Stifstkirche College and the magnificent Ludwigskirche Church.

Froschengasse or Frogs St, is one of the oldest and narrowest Streets of the City and features some of the most original and confidential little boutiques for the delight of the shoppers.

And to finish on a Gourmet note, I highly recommend a spot of lunch in Saarbrücken's oldest tavern and the latest one in which beer is still being brewed, a few meters away from the Froschengasse, the Steifelbräu Tavern welcomes you in a picturesque interior featuring two magnificent and imposing copper vats and offers on top of its homemade beers, traditional dishes such as the "Hoorische" or potato croquettes, "Geffilde" potato croquettes with minced meat and "Dibblelabbes" with potato and smoked bacon. A pint of beer and a main course costs just 8.30 Euros ! And please do keep in mind that portions are very generous in Germany or you may well be filled long before dessert !

And speaking of dessert, the absolute must for all sweets lovers in Saarbrücken is the Schubert Café which offers a selection of pâtisseries that would damn a Saint - as we say in France - and bears the name of the famous music composer in a city where the Streets resonate like musical partitions with names such as Beethovenstrasse, Mozartstrasse, Schumanstrasse...

Whether you visit Saarbrücken in December for its Christmas Market or in summertime to stroll along its historic district's Streets and square in bloom, the capital of the Saar Region will for sure seduce and enchant you !

Welcome to Saarbrücken !

Karim

I invite you to follow me on a visite though a festive City of Saarbrücken which was putting the final touches to the preparations of its famous Christmas Market ...

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Have a great week !

Karim:)

Christmas Markets around the 3 Borders Country

As the 3 Borders Country welcomes its first snowfalls and as we are all stepping joyfully into December, everyone of us is beginning to feel the festive atmosphere associated with Christmas time.

Whether it is for a moment of pure leisure or escaping for a few hours to the countries where Christmas is celebrated in such a special and unique way,  discovering the Christmas Art & Crafts ranging from glass to metal, leather, wood or even fabric, savoring roasted chestnuts, Flamenkuche, grilled sausages not to forget the pancakes, donuts and all imaginable sweets to be enjoyed with a mug of Glühwein or Mulled Wine, may the Magic start with a tour of the most beautiful Christmas Markets around the 3 Borders Country !

Metz ( France )





Welcomes you from 23rd November to 29th December 2013

Place St Louis : The traditional Market

Place St Jacques : The Village Under the Stars

Place de la République : Ice skating rink and attractions park

Place de la Gare : The giant Manger at the feet of a giant Vosgian Christmas Tree

Luxembourg City ( Luxembourg )





Welcomes you from 23rd November to 24th December 2013

Place d'Armes : Christmas Village with a tasting of the traditional Thüringer, Mettwurscht ( Luxembourg made sausages ) or Gromperekichelcher ( potato cakes )

Karim

Strasbourg ( France )







Welcomes you from 29th November au 31th December 2013

Since 1570, Strasbourg célébrâtes Christmas with its world famous Market displayed around the Cathedral and with no less than 300 chalets spread around 11 locations in the town, making of Strasbourg the Christmas Capital.

Place Kléber : an absolute must with its huge Christmas tree and festive atmosphere

Place Broglie : Christkindelmärik

Place de la Cathédrale : traditional Christmas Market

Place Gutenberg : the Croatian Village

Place d'Austerlitz : Market celebrating the Alsacian Food Delights

Mons ( Belgium )





The 2013 Edition of the Mons Heart of Snow Festival welcomes you from 13th december 2013 to 05th January 2014

Set on the Grand Place around the ice skating rink, a magical Christmas show featuring Jugglers, Fire Eaters, a Band of 14 Musicians and 3 Ballet Companies dressed in breathtaking costumes !

Karim

Heidelberg ( Germany )





The Capital of the Romantic Rhine Valley welcomes you for a magical Christmas Market from 25th November to 22nd December 2013

The festivities are displayed around Bismarkplatz, Anatomiegarten, Kornmarkt and Marktplatz.

And a must see will be the Palace Christmas Magic set in front of the Palace from 05th to 17th December 2013 featuring a subtle show of colours from the illuminated marquees to a kaleidoscope of magical lights on the front of the Palace !



Colmar ( France )







Welcomes you from 22nd November au 31st December 2013

Colmar displays its Christmas Magic from the Place Ste Jeanne d'Arc and the Place de l'Ancienne Douane for the traditional Christmas Markets, the Place des Six Montagnes Noires dedicated to children and the Place des Dominicains where you will find everything you need to decorate your home from freshly cut Christmas trees to branches of holly and mistletoe as well as magnificent door wreaths !

Karim

Et pour terminer ce tour des plus beaux Marchés de Noël du Pays des 3 Frontières, mon coup de cœur absolu de 2013 sera la Cité de Trèves en Allemagne, magique toute l'année et simplement féerique à Noël !

Trier ( Germany )









Welcomes you from 25th November to 22nd December 2013

Christmas Market displayed on the medieval Hauptmarkt Platz and in front of the St Pierre Cathédral

I'll take you along with me tomorrow on a tour of the Metz Christmas Market and on Thursday on a tour of the world famous Strasbourg Christmas Market

Karim:)

Welcome to the Metz Christmas Market !

It is by a wonderfully sunny afternoon, this Sunday December 1st that I boarded the regional train towards the City of Metz and its Christmas Market, Christmas Markets should I rather say as they are 6 in total spread around the city centre, but all within a walking distance. As soon as I arrive in the historic train station I was greeted by the towering silhouette of the giant Vosgian Christmas Tree dressed in silver and white which welcomes you in a City that knows to celebrate Christmas with warmth !

I know the centre of Metz quite well and yet it was a a wonderful surprise to discover all these familiar Streets and squares dressed in festive colours starting with the Place de la République with its Big Wheel and its Ice Skating Rink then to the Place St Louis with its magical Village Under the Stars with Chalets straight out of a Russian winter tale and finally the Place St Louis with its traditional Christmas Maket which is a delight for all the senses ! Starting with the appetizing scents coming from the chalets where the traditional Tartiflette, Flamenkuche and Choucroute are being freshly cooked and of course the grilled sausages amongst those the famous Frankfurter and the white sausage which is a regional specialty and is to be enjoyed with a Bretzel and mustard.

The Foodies will gather around the chalets where pancakes and fresh fruits dipped in chocolate on skewter are being served with all the other sweet delights you can possibly imagine and enjoy with a mug of Mulled Wine which is available in its red or white variety, delicious and so festive. Gastronomy from around the world is also present on the market with products from the Basque region, Caribbean, Spain and even Canada with the most delightful accents to match ! Fresh oysters coming from Britanny, panfried snails, homemade Foie Gras terrine, artisanals cordials available in dozens of unusual flavours, Tartiflette specialty cooking in its giant pan, a little tour of the Place St Louis Christmas Market will not only put you in a happy and festive mood but is also a great source of inspiration for original ideas for your Christmas meals and decorations !

I invite you to discover the many colours and smiles of the Metz Christmas Market through the following pictures taken as I was enjoying a paper horn of freshly roasted chestnuts which have become my latest craze 

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Thank you for following this Escapade to the beautiful Metz Christmas Market 

Karim

Welcome to Strasbourg and its Christmas Markets !

When one arrives like myself in the 3 Borders Country and one speaks about Christmas Markets, one name comes back on everyones lips, Strasbourg ! The largest, the most beautiful and famous Christmas Market of all and as I discovered while researching prior to my visit, the Capital of Christmas, nothing less !

And as I boarded a comfortable double decker grand tourism bus for the very reasonable price of only 19.00 Euros return filled with a joyous crowd of people coming from all parts of the country, I wondered if the city of Strasbourg which I was about to discover, with such a fame and reputation would live up to my expectations, and I must say it even exceeded them !

To say that I arrived on this December 05th in a city dressed up to celebrate Christmas in style is a sweet understatement as Strasbourg posess the Art and the Way to make Christmas sparkle like nowhere else thanks to the efforts of the talented Strasbourg Window Dressing Association which counts no less than 700 shop owners amongs its members and who create the magic one can enjoy throughout the City centre by decorating the shops and the fronts of the buildings with an Art that mixes exquisite craftmanship with a touch of magic.

One must say that the tradition of the Christmas Market in Strasbourg dates back to 1570, year in which the first and Europe's oldest "Christkindelmärik" or Christmas Market came to life.

Strasbourg is a big town where one travels using a modern and well appointed system of tramway and the City Centre where the historical and architectural splendours are gathered is easily accessible by foot and one can discover the sublime Cathedral Notre Dame, the famous Rue des Orfèvres, the popular Place Colbert or the unique architectural ensemble of the Petite France district at its own pace and time.

I was Lucky to discover Strasbourg by a beautiful sunny day, which is always a plus at this time of the year and I must admit that the Capital of the Alsace region has not only seduced me but also blown me away !

The 2013 Christmas Market offers a number of 300 chalets gathered in 11 locations in the city centre which welcomes this year Croatia with a Christmas Village dedicated to the traditions and Art & Crafts of the Croatian people. I can recommend you little digestive drink made from brandy and figs called the Rajika, as delicious as original.

The Streets décorations of the city centre dressed up in festive colours and lights will simply blow yourself away from the sublime Rue des Orfèvres to the picturesque art of the Petite France district. I have travelled a lot and saw quite a few cities at Christmas time, in France and abroad, but the festive décorations of Strasbourg belong to these things that one must see at least once in their lifetime with the pinacle being the huge 30 meters high Christmas tree of the Place Kléber dressed in silver and blue by the Designer Antoinette Pflimlin with no less than St Louis Crystal baubles !

My recommendations for Foodies like myself, beyond the tasting of the many regional delights of the Christmas Markets enjoyed with a glass of Mulled Wine, will be the venerable Maison Kammerzell with its Renaissance wooden architecture which contrasts so magnificently with the nearby Cathedral Notre Dame where I enjoyed a Christmas beer called Grimbergen. A must visit is also the Auberge de la Chaîne d'Or located on 134 Grand Rue which dates back to the medieval times for a very affordable price of only 15.70 Euros for a starter and a main course. The sweet delights afficionados will gathered to Christian Tea Room and Pâtisserie located on 10 rue des Mercières with its front wall decorated in a Baroque style and where cakes are mini works of Art. And my personal crush will go to little Weinstube as original as picturesque, Pfifferbriader or "Pfiff" for the locals, located on 14 Place du Marché with its little tables dressed in traditional Alsatian fabrics, mullioned Windows and exquisite stained glass, and a Young and dynamic Team. An absolute Must to discover !

So this is to a visit of Strasbourg dressed up in its finest festive outfit which I invite you starting from the Place Broglie with its traditional Christmas Market to the sublime and imposing Cathedral Notre Dame which 142 meters high Arrow made the highest building in Occident history up to the 19th century, to the Rue des Orfèvres straight out of a Christmas tale to the unique architectural ensemble of the Petite France district with its black and white medieval houses enchanting subtle pastel colours.

You will excuse the artistic fuzzy of the last pictures which can be explained in a few words : Christmas Beer and Mulled Wine associated to two hands increasingly filled with shopping bags     ! May I take this opportunity to thank you for following my Escapades around the 3 Borders Country and wish you all a very happy festive season until we meet again in 2014     !

Welcome to Strasbourg    !

Strasbourg on the Map



City Map of Strasbourg

Karim

View of the sublime Cathedral Notre Dame from the Place Kleber



Christmas Market on the Place Broglie



The Magical Décorations of the Rue des Orfèvres



The magnificent Christmas Tree of the Place Kleber



The medieval Petite France district upon the river Ill

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The vénérable Maison Kammerzell





Café de La Chaîne d'Or



Pâtisserie Christian



My 2013 crush, the Weinstube Pfifferbriader or "Pfiff" for the locals !

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So, are ready to follow me around the magical City of Strasbourg & its Christmas Markets ? Here we go  ...

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