"Someday" is Here

 Apparently, everyone in the world is touring Christmas markets in Europe this year!  It is really a thing now, at least for Americans...Europeans have been doing it forever, seemingly.  We had the pleasure of visiting some markets at the end of November and first week of December.  It was a trip that materialized on a dreary, lonely, afternoon and evening in September at the shore.  I was experiencing the "end of summer blues", and said to TJ, "Remember that trip to Strasbourg we planned and had to cancel?  Maybe it would be fun to visit and see the Christmas markets.".  All I had to do was plant the seed and within a few hours he had purchased tickets and put the ball in my court.  There was a time, or there were many times in our life, that the mere suggestion of a trip would have been met with sighs of, "someday".  As a result of many air miles, a retired and restless husband, an empty nest and our desire to see and do... "Someday" is here! 

Our trip began in Paris on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Turns out the Saturday after Thanksgiving is a great day to travel abroad because everyone in the states is home with their families.  We celebrated Thanksgiving with our son in Kansas City, came home on Friday and left on Saturday.  Yes, there were moments I said to myself and TJ, "Are we crazy?  Why did we plan it this way?".  One reason we planned this way was that nobody travels abroad on the weekend after Thanksgiving which meant our upgrade to the flat bed seats came through!  "Someday" is definitely here.

Paris in November is gray and damp.  BUT...it is still Paris!  I really do love that city!  I have been many times and will go again...any time.  We stayed in the Montmartre area because our train to Strasbourg was leaving from Gare de l'Est and we wanted to be close by.  Montmartre is an area we know a little but not a lot, so I scheduled a food tour for our arrival day.  I like to have an activity on arrival day with someone to point me around and lead me in a direction, so I don't have to think.  Perfect.  We sampled many sweets, some wine and cheese, heard some interesting and tragic stories and met a new friend.  

Macaron?  Merci!

So French!  Oui, merci!

The next day was...wet.  What to do in Paris in the cold rain/drizzle?  I had heard that there are passages in Paris, covered walkways with shops and restaurants.  I had never seen one before, so we set out the find the passages.  What a great concept!  The shops were so cute, and we stayed dry!  We also toured the Pompidou Center and museum which we had only walked past and never toured before.  Both great choices and when we were finished, the rain had disappeared.  We had a lovely dinner, are there any others in Paris?  Went to bed pleased with our choice to fly into Paris en route to Strasbourg.  Paris is always a good idea!

A great way to stay dry in Paris!

The next morning, we walked to the, very close, train station and took a 2-hour train to Strasbourg.  Train stations in Europe are so different than the ones in the states.  They are so busy and many of them are just beautiful if you ask me.  They are also very utilized.  The Strasbourg station would prove to be a very lovely and unique building as well.  We found our apartment, ate lunch in a very local place and commenced our Christmas marketing!  The smells, the booths, the vibe, the food, the lights, the decorations!  All of it together just makes your heart swell.  

The markets below give a little perspective.
That Cathedral is huge!!!

Our routine had become explore the city in the morning, lunch someplace, walk/shop a bit and then go back to our accommodation until dark...which was 4 pm!  Around 5 we would go back out, do more exploring, have dinner and then really walk around and marvel at the shops and the lights. This routine resulted in an average of about 15,000 steps a day!  

As a coincidence, on our food tour in Paris, we met an interesting young woman from Australia and found out she would be in Strasbourg the same day we were.  We invited her to meet us at the restaurant we had reservations at on our first night for dinner or even just a drink. I mean, we are older...maybe she wanted to hang with some younger people!  We did not know if she would show or not. We did spend 3 hours together eating our way through Paris... why not?  Well...she showed up!  We proceeded to spend the whole night together, talking, eating, drinking and generally having fun.  We ended the night...shutting down a Christmas market.  Small world indeed. 

We visited Colmar, France the next day and my oh my!  For one, the sun was shining brightly for the first time since we left home.  For another, Colmar is the cutest place on earth!  We felt like we had been dropped into a fairy tale!  This was probably the most perfect day of our trip.  Sunny skies, market after market, buildings and streets decorated to the hilt, great food, and a very manageable size place to fully explore.  I would go back!

Love the use of all red locks on the bridge!

Christmas, everywhere you look!

Cute beyond words!

Welcome back to Strasbourg

Our next destination was Baden Baden.  Why Baden Baden?  It is on the way to Frankfurt, where our flight home was departing, smaller and famous for its thermal spas.  We figured we would be chilled to the bone by this point in the trip and in need of some warming up.  We were back to the winter gray skies and as we headed north it just got colder.  Luckily, Baden Baden was charming, easy to navigate and a lovely place to spend a day and night.  Yes, we did go to the spa, no, we did not opt for the "textile free" areas.  We enjoyed every pool we could, inside and outside.  What a luxury!  Good thing our hotel was nearby, I was so relaxed when we left walking was a challenge.  Of course the cold air woke us up pretty quickly.  I cannot imagine how dark these towns are in the winter once all of the holiday decorations and lights are gone.  They are so festive and alive during this season, but with sunset around 4 p.m.  winter is very dark!

Our only sprinkling of snow!

 Our last day was spent in Frankfurt. It was definitely a place that snapped us back into reality.  After spending time in places that felt like walking through a Christmas card, we were in the big city.  Frankfurt is BIG!  We could no longer just walk from place to place, although we tried and got to see the seedier side of the life in the big city.  Let's just say the red light district in Frankfurt is not nearly as charming as it is in Amsterdam.  Another reality check was the markets were shoulder to shoulder crowds and then we realized it was Saturday.  We were definitely on vacation, we had no idea what day of the week it was until then.  Everyone and their grandmother and their kids goes to the markets on Saturday.  Yes, they were just as charming, but there were times I had to tell myself, "You survived Mardi Gras in New Orleans many times, you can do this too!".  We managed to sample some food and found a happening wine bar and lucked out with a seat at a table, surrounded by people.  Guess we were so old, compared to the general clientele, that they gave us a chair.  You know...before we keeled over due to old age 😂

Absolutely loved this booth!

We had a great time, better than expected actually!  We were prepared for inclement weather and had mentally prepared for gloomy skies.  I really had no idea that the night lights would provide so much joy though.  

Just some of the calories we consumed, happily, and tried to walk off on our trip.

Christmas came early to the two of us.  As a result, Christmas may come a little late to our families!  Playing catch up on the gifting and greeting this year...their gifts will arrive...someday!

Hope your holidays are as merry and bright as a European Christmas Market!

There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like Home

I kind of feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz  after she woke up from that crazy dream only to find that she was happy just being home in Kansas.   I'm not sure if after my summer away I have more courage, brains or heart...but I do have over 500 pictures and some great memories.  When it is all said and done though, it sure is nice to be home for a while!  Even though the the thermometer says 102 degrees and it still has not rained for months and I had to BUY lettuce at the grocery store instead of  pick it out of the garden.... on the bright side, I have twice weekly garbage pick up, a garbage disposal (curb your enthusiasm!), air conditioning, my car, my regular Tuesday golf game, my book club, and a life.   A life that has been somewhat neglected over the last few months....at least when Dorothy woke up she had only missed a day or two!

When I last left you I was lamenting the beauties of the shore and trying to hold on to that last bit of summer.  It was not the perfect summer but it had some very special times and was my first to "stay on".  I could definitely get used to "staying on".  Last year, re-entry was postponed with a trip to New York.  This year I managed to postpone real life another week by accompanying TJ on a business trip to the UK and Europe. 

London Bridge is not falling down!  It was quite lovely.

I sure hope there is enough paella for me to have some too!  Covent Garden...food court?

This is the train station in Antwerp where I walked from end to end pulling my bag and looking for my platform, or at least the platform I thought I was supposed to catch my train at, with no luck.  I started to feel like Harry Potter and expected to be sucked into the  train to Hogwarts at any minute!  I did eventually ask someone for directions and it turns out the train to Brussels is labeled.... Paris!?  Duh!

Hogwarts....I mean Brussels.  Where I walked approximately 20 miles and got to see a lot of beautiful buildings and gardens. 

When TJ was finally finished with his work obligations we were lucky enough to go to France and stay at his sister's house.  I know...can you believe she has a house in France?!  It is in an ancient town near Dijon.  If I thought being without TV at the shore was an adjustment, going to a remote French village with no TV, no clock, no phone and no internet was another thing altogether.  This would be a perfect place for a quiet retreat.  It took a bit to shift gears from London to remote ancient village in France!  It was beautiful!  We really enjoyed the surroundings and being transported to a different time. 

A long way from the farmhouse....in time and space.

A place where you drive down the road and see things like this!

In addition to ancient castles, we also came across a horse parade.  I guess these guys needed a drink at the cafe before the parade!

One way to make sure you do not miss the shore so much when you eventually get home is to go to a foreign country, live out of a suitcase for a week, have some gray gloomy weather, catch a miserable cold, spend a lot of time alone walking through large cities and find out that your French is only minorly passable as a means of communication.  It puts everything in perspective!

 Summer at the shore is over, everyone has gone back to their real lives, it is time to go "home".   A place somewhere in between the laid back, fresh shore air place where everyone knows your name to the crowded, busy, urban city where you are anonymous to the quiet, remote, ancient village....."home" is somewhere that has a little part of each.