SwissMissMeg

Hello, friends and family. It’s the homestretch before the holiday break and life is busy. We have one week left at school and grades close tomorrow. We also recently had our first snow of the season. The mountains were beautiful at sunrise.

Like nowhere else I’ve worked before, my school is very big on celebrating the season. The last few weeks have included an egg nog party, a Christmas service, and tomorrow will bring the tree lighting on campus. Christmas sweaters abound and it really feels like the holidays are upon us.

December in Europe brings Christmas markets in full swing. I celebrated by taking an overnight train to Prague to see my college friend Charlie and his family.

I booked a sleeper cabin all to myself, leaving from Zurich around 9:30pm. Crossing EU and Schengen borders meant that there were no midnight interruptions. By the time I awoke and ate breakfast, the train was nearly to Prague.

Such a historic and easy city to walk, Prague has become a favorite over the years. Wandering around Old Town in the evening was gorgeous, with the astronomical clock on display and the crowds a little thinner.

My favorite part of the weekend was picking out a tree, wandering the many gorgeous parks in Prague, and homemade Korean food (Charlie and I both lived in Korea). Loved getting to meet Charlie’s little daughter as well.

Lugano has its own Christmas markets, quaint but pricey. Busy on weekend evenings, I managed to catch a quieter moment as the sun was setting behind San Salvatore. Then I hopped my train to Basel for the weekend.

After reaching Basel, I met up with new friends and colleagues at the Markethalle Basel. A great spot just steps from the train station, the food was diverse and delicious.

On Saturday, I made my way to Strasbourg, or the Capitale de Noel as their campaign goes. Located in the Alsace region of France, this medieval town boasts the oldest continuous Christmas market in Europe (1570).

A number of years ago, the Strasbourg powers that be decided to make the push to become the premiere Christmas market in all of Europe. They succeeded in attracting 3.3 million people to the markets in 2023. This year is expected to break that record.

A few recommendations for the Strasbourg Christmas Market:

1. Aim for a weekday. There were moments where I was unable to move forward in shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.
2. Bring an umbrella. Rain is a daily event this time of year.
3. Save the gluhwein for last. Do not fill up on liquids. With only three public bathrooms in the area, you will want to wait.
4. Stay in Basel. Much cheaper (shocking to say for a Swiss city!) and an easy one hour train ride away, you’ll appreciate the lack of crowds and the sanity.
5. Book an Airbnb walking tour. My guide introduced us to all five markets, recommended the best stalls (chalets, as they called them), and taught us a lot about Christmas traditions. For instance, locals used to decorate Christmas trees with apples. One year, following a poor harvest, a local glass blower created hand-blown baubles as a replacement and the modern Christmas ornament was born.

The Middle Ages were a major era of economic and intellectual growth for Strasbourg. The city claimed its title of capital of the wine trade, laying the foundation for Gutenberg’s inspiration for the printing press (the grape press). He was laying low in Strasbourg after fleeing debt collectors in his German hometown.

Boasting both Germanic and French heritage, Strasbourg was bombed by the Allies in WWII. 20% of the city was destroyed. Today, the cobblestone streets are lined with half-timbered style homes, replete with attic dormers formerly used for drying tanned hides or spices. In this riverfront city, the water table is too high to trust a basement.

I enjoying my gluhwine with views of the great Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral lit up as darkness fell. After battling the crowds all day, this was my celebration of success, market mug in hand.

Every market has a mug which you can return for a deposit of about 5 euros. I chose to keep mine as a souvenir. I didn’t find much else to purchase but I had fun looking at the stalls.

On my way back to Basel, I stopped off in Colmar, a tiny town rumored to have a nice market. Also quaint and slightly less packed, the Colmar market was fun to wander and enjoy the lights.

On my last morning in Basel, I met up with folks from school at the Basel Printing Museum.

A gem of a museum, the interactive exhibits included paper making, watermarking, printing, and book binding. The eager educators switched seamlessly from French to German to English, as one must do in this multilingual country. Certainly can’t wait to return to the museum in the future and perhaps bring a group of students with me.

Before catching my train, I stopped by the two Basel Christmas markets. Both within walking distance of each other (the city is beautifully laid out), the Basel markets proved just my pace. No lines, no waiting, just enough space to move about. I picked up a few gifts and headed to the station. Not sure there’s a better way to travel then on a Swiss train. Happy holidays, everyone!