Carols on Strasbourg’s streets

Rajesh Krishan

It is Christmas time in Strasbourg, capital of the Alsace region of France, and in the old town area, a Unesco World Heritage site, the lights lining the medieval streets are giving the city a cozy feel.

“It was founded exactly 1,000 years ago,” says Marila Boutineau, our walking tour guide, as we stand at the Cathedral Square in front of the 466 feet high Notre Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral, marvelling at the intricacy of the carvings on its façade.

The interior of the cathedral is breathtaking, with its historic stained-glass windows, sky-high ceiling and attractions such as the Pillar of Angels and Astronomical Clock. “It’s among the oldest mechanical masterpieces, still in operation,” says Marila, as she narrates the story of the 16th century clock. The main attraction of the clock is the March of the 12 apostles who parade before Christ everyday at half-past 12.

On the Cathedral Square, the site for Christkindlmarkt, the oldest Christmas market in France, grows busy and festive from the end of November to Christmas. It then turns into a wonderland with a variety of wooden chalet stalls offering gingerbread, mulled wine, fairground rides as well as live performances.

From here we go to La Maison Kammerzell, a richly carved half-timbered 16th-century house, before walking to the nearby Place Kléber, an open square in the heart of the city, where a massive Christmas tree is being adorned. The place is historically important because it’s here in 1792 that Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle composed La Marseillaise, the French national anthem.

Next comes the Petite France quarter. With its historical landmarks — Ponts Couverts, the medieval covered bridge, the Vauban Dam, and the magnificent 16th century half-timbered houses, all along the Ill River, its appeal is timeless.

We stop at a window display of pains d’épices, a small gingerbread boutique. As we step in, the delicious waft of cinnamon, cloves and butter floats through the air. From inside the tiny kitchen of the boutique appears Mireille Oster. Serving up a taste of French hospitality, she offers us with some of her treats for tasting, as well as to take home some.

The next day is spent taking a boat ride along the Ill River and visiting the popular attractions of the city like the European Parliament, Le Palais Rohan, and the Alsatian Museum. As the day comes to an end, it is time to head to La Maison des Tanneurs, the famous restaurant in the Petite France district, dating back to the 16th century, for a relaxed farewell lunch. This restaurant attracts attention from visitors for its central location, historical value as well as traditional Alsacian specialties, like bibeleskaes, choucroute, and baeckeoffe, an oven-baked casserole dish, which, as François Lenhardt, the owner of the restaurant, puts it, “was traditionally prepared by farmers’ wives,” and, “represents the multicultural personality of the capital city.”

Getting there 

Multiple airlines fly to Paris from New Delhi. Paris to Strasbourg is just over 2 hours by the high-speed TGV train. A one-way ticket from Paris to Strasbourg costs approximately Rs 2000 per head in second class. One can also buy a France Rail Pass (www.raileurope.co.in) which allows unlimited travel.

Accommodation 

For stay, the options are aplenty, from modern hotels to typically Alsatian ones, such as Le Cour du Corbeau, which is centrally-placed in a historical building from the 16th century.