How do dreams begin? Everyone has their own sources of inspiration for their dreams, one reads a good book and dives into the characters, the period, the geographical location, one sees a film with spectacular shots that make you think about the next destination. That's how my French dream for my favorite Christmas season began.
Photographs of towns in the French Alsace region decorated for Christmas and the holiday season, sparkling, special, illuminated and all with a French flavor. A pleasant conversation with a French relative who knows the Alsace region well gave rise to the idea of a practical phase, including a few words in French, because that's how it is with me. Trying to absorb the culture, the landscapes and the people from all directions and as much as possible.
We learn a little bit of the language, listen to the local radio in the car, taste local foods (we'll get to the snail phase soon, hang in there...) We walk and lift our heads up, to the buildings, to the landscapes, to new sights of old and new, of darkness and light, questions and answers.
General information about the Alsace region
The Alsace region extends in eastern France, west of the Rhine River. The capital of the region is the city of Strasbourg (which is amazing, wait for the continuation) and its borders are between Switzerland and Germany. The towns are not far from each other, which makes it possible to fly for a short weekend and enjoy and soak up the atmosphere. A small and comfortable car is completely sufficient in the area, the roads are comfortable and there are several parking lots at the entrance to each town (just stock up on small coins, because there is no excess and you can only pay in cash).
The main characteristics of this region are the picturesque towns that seem to have been taken from medieval fairy tales, Walt Disney (we will get to this interesting story later), and vast areas of vineyards and wineries. In the winter season - Christmas-December, the vineyards are of course in the shade, but you can see the vast areas over which they spread and of course taste the excellent wines of the region.
From wine tastings at several restaurants and recommendations from avid wine enthusiasts, I came up with the following wine recommendations (white wines are the specialty of the Alsace region): Pinot Gris (the best in my opinion), Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling.
LE CLOS SAINT VINCENT
A mesmerizing spa hotel among the vineyards, just like that, my dear.
We rented our cute car at the airport in Basel (on the French side) and headed for the hotel. As we were climbing towards the city of Ribeauvillé, we began to feel something special in the air. A special hotel that also includes a fine French restaurant , located on a hill among vineyards and exquisitely decorated in every detail.
While I was taking an early morning stroll around the hotel towards the heated pool and jacuzzi (it should be noted that it was 08:00 AM and still dark, the sun only rose at 08:30 AM), I discovered a wooden cabinet with beautiful paintings standing by the staircase, a cabinet that could have made its way back with me on the plane. At the entrance to the charming room, there is a private lobby overlooking glass windows that also includes special items and of course, everything was in a sparkling and luxurious Christmas atmosphere.
Hotel information and room reservation
Riquewihr
The sun rises in December in Alsace at 08:30, but some are already awake for two hours… I’ve already been to the hotel spa, a luxurious French breakfast and off to explore. The town of Riquewihr was waiting for us in all its beauty, with picturesque, special houses and Christmas markets full of all sorts of goodies. I bought sweet marzipans, local berry jam and cheeses, and everything looked like part of a movie set…
Speaking of movies… legend has it that Disney producers toured this town and the town of Egisheim and from there they took inspiration for the movie “Beauty and the Beast,” for the scene where Belle strolls through the village and Gaston dances and sings by the fountain. As a Disney fan, I couldn’t help but watch the scene from the movie again before the trip and the strong resemblance to the real sources of inspiration in the towns. Put on the song from the movie and you’ll really feel like you’re in a fairy tale come to life. Recommended.
Kaysersberg
In the morning, before we left the spa hotel, I showed the receptionist the small map we had received and asked him, which town would he recommend visiting? It's always important to me to hear a local opinion and see if there's anything interesting happening that day... The nice receptionist circled Kaysersberg and told us not to give up, a fascinating medieval seaside town with Christmas markets and a special atmosphere. Of course I listened.
A river runs through the center of the town, flanked by ancient and unique wooden houses. A 13th-century castle rises above the town, completing the entire postcard. The streets are paved like centuries ago, the windows are decorated for the holidays with extraordinary care (wait until we get to Strasbourg), and if you bought mulled wine at a stall or onion soup, then you've earned the privilege of walking around with a warm cup in your hand.
For a moment, you are completely immersed in the festive and special atmosphere, and to my delight, because I had a local SIM card, the phone was used for taking photos and important messages, and most of the time it was completely quiet. Part of the point of being on vacation is to disconnect. For lunch, and after sampling some particularly worthwhile shops, we decided to go to Strasbourg – where the next apartment hotel was waiting for us.
Oh Strasbourg, how beautiful you are. Or the cathedral that captured my heart.
Strasbourg. The capital of Alsace. How beautiful and how special.
Given the fact that this time (unusually), I booked my trip quite close to the flight date, it was quite difficult to find a hotel or apartment in the central areas of the city. I preferred to sleep in the city center and walk around at night – a decision that was very correct at this time of year. I found an apartment hotel in a small alley located next to the main street leading to the large and impressive cathedral in the city.
Despite the cold at night when we arrived in the city, it was impossible to take my eyes off the enormous building rising to a great height and illuminated with precious golden light. In the morning, I even went on a tour inside the cathedral, the power of huge chandeliers, tapestries with scenes from the New Testament, enormous stained glass windows, statues of figures from Christianity and extraordinary splendor. The cathedral left a huge impression on me and truly captured my heart. (Part of my undergraduate degree was in art history and here I was able to apply some of that knowledge..).
We divided our stay in the city into 2 parts:
- Night tour In the city center, in the cathedral area, there are decorated streets, statues, a huge Christmas tree, impressive buildings all lit up, and one excellent, delicious, and warm Vietnamese restaurant.
- Today's tour Focused mainly on the ancient area of the city called “France The little one. Let's say the word “wow” was repeated several times, along with Mercy, Bonjour, Orvar….
Colmar
A vibrant and colorful town, waiting for the many visitors who come to it. Colmar also appeals to the young crowd, with diverse holiday stalls, a small mini amusement park full of magic, delicious food stalls and an indoor market for those who need to recover and warm up from the cold. I must say that with a good coat, hat, gloves and scarf it was really pleasant to walk. To be sure, the temperatures were around 0 degrees, but for me it was quite pleasant… I estimate that in principle it is considered cooler.
We ended the day at a homey and highly recommended Indian restaurant (La Maharaja) – make a reservation.
At night, in Basel, Switzerland, while we were getting ready for the flight back to Israel – it started to snow. And so on the way to the airport, white snowflakes fell on us and a thin white layer could be seen on the grass. I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that this is a wonderful ending to our Alsatian fairy tale.
In conclusion, I recommend dreaming dreams, I highly recommend trying to make them come true. This time I traveled with a good friend of mine, who has been my partner on several trips abroad. Alsace was good to us (including tasting the snails for the experience..) and I would love to return for a spring trip to the area when all the vineyards will be loaded with grapes and we can get to know the “ Wine Road ” in all its glory.
And if you want, I would be happy to help and make your dream come true – wherever you choose.
I will search, refine, write, edit, and present you with a neat and organized travel binder that will accompany you throughout your family, couple's vacation, and/or business trip.
Do not hesitate to contact me in any way.
Merav Talmor – Keshai, travel consultant in Israel and around the world.
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Writes so beautifully that it makes me want to "get it!"
Your suggestions look tempting and really make me want to go to Alsace. Which was not in our plan at all. By the way, how long did your suggestion take with the beautiful villages you described in Alsace?
If you are traveling by car from Paris to Alsace. And is there anything to do on the way? Any suggestions for a stop? Thank you very much, Busquila
In my opinion, it is worth dedicating a week or at least five days to Alsace. On the way to Alsace, it is recommended to stop in the city of Metz, and if you have time, Nancy and Loneville are also not a bad option.
You wrote about a recommended Vietnamese restaurant, what is its name?