Alsace-typical half-timbered houses & christmas decoration
I came to Strasbourg for New Year’s, and what I found was something like Santa’s workshop. Christmas decoration all around and all the christmas markets still open. Well, the Alsatian people do celebrate the Epiphany Day in early January, similar to the Spanish, with a special kind of cake or tarte. But it still feels kind of weird, when you’ve just closed the chapter ‘christmas’ for the year. But Strasbourg is, that’s their claim, ‘Capital de Noël’ – Capital of Christmas.
Strasbourg – Capitale de Noël
The small christmas markets placed in different sites in the old city centre have been open until 31 december. And the decoration in the small lanes and alleys really makes it a magical place. Even the stork, Alsace’s symbolic animal, finds its place on the christmas market huts:
Although there are no organized fireworks for New Year’s Eve and private use of firecrackers is not allowed in France, there is still some firecracking going on on Place Kléber in the city center. And of course, the famous Galeries Lafayette department store is wearing its ‘bling-bling’-christmas dress.
Galeries Lafayette Strasbourg
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