Michael and I took our first non budget airline flight in a
long time, choosing to fly Aer Lingus to Paris instead of our usual carrier,
Ryan Air. Oh, the luxury! We didn’t have to brave the weather on the
tarmac to climb the stairs to board the plane.
No, we walked along a covered walkway and boarded the plane without
getting blown about. We found our seats,
and behold – a seat pocket! I hadn’t seen one of those in years! (It is the
little things that you notice and appreciate).
The flight was smooth and a quick train ride later we were in the heart
of Paris. We performed our usual routine
of checking in, dumping our bags and setting off to explore.
We soon found one of the new hipster style cafes, which have
sprung up all over Paris and enjoyed a nice cup of coffee. It is funny to think that on our first trip
to France in 2012, we actually gave up drinking coffee as we couldn’t find a
decent cup anywhere, and now we are spoilt for choice. Dinner that evening was at a nearby bistro
where the waitress tried her best to correct our appalling pronunciation of the
dishes on the menu. I think that we gave
her a laugh or two.
The next morning, we were up early and took our places at
the counter of another nearby bistro to join the locals for a croissant and a
café au lait. It is always interesting
to watch people go about their business.
We then headed out to have a walk around the familiar streets of the
city, enjoying the sunshine and the sights.
Finally it was time to head to the railway station where we were to meet
James and Amber. It was great to see
them again, and after brief greetings, it was time for us all to board the
train for the start of our holiday together.
The Stones of
Strasbourg
Where better to experience the magic of the festive season,
but Strasbourg, home to one of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe. We dropped our bags off at our hotel, rugged
up nice and warm and then headed out to explore the ancient city. Security had been tightened considerably
since our last visit, with all pedestrians having to pass through checkpoints
on the bridges and handbags and backpacks searched and large lorries were
parked across the roads preventing anyone from driving into the market areas. The security guard asked Amber and I
something in French, and seeing that we didn’t understand, he started to hum
the Stripper whilst miming undoing his clothes.
We understood that he wanted us to undo our jackets, which we did. I was pretty cross with him as we moved off,
as I assumed that he was being suggestive to Amber however, I soon found out
that Michael and James had been given the Stripper routine as well!
It wasn’t long before we were in the beautiful old city,
surrounded by twinkling lights and enjoying browsing the many, many stalls with
mulled wines in our hands. The street
decorations were amazing and it was magical wandering the streets and seeing
everyone enjoying themselves, particularly the children. Dinner that night was at Caveau Gurtlerhoft a
traditional restaurant housed in cellars more than 600 years old. The meal was delicious, with Michael
especially enjoying his 3 meats hot pot.
The following day was spent exploring the city and markets
and revisiting the wonderful Cathedral.
We found a lovely wine bar, Black and Wine, and spent some time sampling
the local produce of the region before dining a wonderful French restaurant,
L’Epicerie. Strasbourg remains firmly on
my list of favourite European cities to visit whether in the summertime or
winter.
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