Christmas Villages in Speyer, Germany and Strasbourg, France

In our travels around Europe, we went to Speyer, Germany. It was one of the last remaining Christmas Markets open. We liked it so much we went back twice! The small city has a beautiful town center that has an old gate at one end and a large domed Cathedral in the other. They close the main road between the two of them for the market. 

We explored the Catholic cathedral. It was HUGE and clean. It was not as decorated and unique as the Mainz Cathedral. After we left, we wandered along the streets buying hot chocolate and bratwurst. We also tried "tornado potatoes" which the two Muggles loved. We also tried fried bread with apple, cinnamon and butter. 

There was a small chapel near the town center that was gorgeous! The herringbone floors and dark oak paneling was beautiful. I liked seeing all of the huge murals of the life of Christ around the walls and ceiling. 

The next time we went back we took family with us. The Muggles had fun adventuring with their cousins. 

The kids all wanted to try ice skating. It was was not real ice because it was not quite cold enough, but it was some ice - like plexiglass. They had so much fun, even if there was A LOT of falling! They laughed and raced each other. It was fun to watch them enjoy it. 

 

There was a beautiful giant spider playground that the kids loved to explore. 

As we were leaving I passed a small book shop that was rebinding some of the old Cathedral books. It was so much fun to watch them work. This woman was excited to tell me all about her process. The only problem was she told me the whole process in German. I must have looked German and that I understood, because she kept going. I just smiled nodded and thanked her (that was the most German I know)! HAHAH

The next stop on our trip was FRANCE! We have been to many parts of France but had never been to Strasbourg. It is a city just over the border of Germany. It crazy to see that the city was French but was a blend of French and German culture. 

It is a bigger city but still maintains the charm of old France. We, of course, stopped by every bakery and chocolate store we passed. We bought almond cake, bread, a King's Cake (Gallete Des Rois). The kids were so happy to get their toy. Lucky Dragon found the toy in his piece of cake the first night. Koala Bear found the King toy in hers the next night. 

The Belgian Chocolate store was delicious. We all tried a different one. 

She could not resist herself when we walked by the store!

We had some macarons and some macaroons! Both were perfectly baked and had delicious. 

The Stasbourg Cathedral was one of my favorites. It had all of the gothic architecture and these huge tapestries of different parts of the New Testament. 

We were here during the time that Pope Benedict died, so there were so many places honoring him.