Europe Travels

So this year when I turned 50, I knew I wanted to do something to celebrate in a big way, but didn't know what that was. Then I saw this trip listed on the WTT website and decided this was it. I loved going to the Christmas markets in Germany and Austria with mom in 2018 so seeing them in 4 countries seemed like a good idea, and 3 of the countries were completely new to me. 

I left the day after Thanksgiving and flew to Switzerland to meet up with the group. I upgraded myself to premium with my miles on the flight from JFK to ZHR and I think I will be doing that in the future the next time I go on a long flight. It was nice to have more space. I actually fell asleep for a couple hours. 

Zurich was fun and I did enjoy our ferry boat ride on Lake Zurich. The Christmas markets were almost entirely food stalls. I did eat a good sausage and Nutella empanada though. 

Limmat river

The next stop was in Basel, Switzerland. I can't say that I had any strong impressions of Basel. Where the Christmas market was, looked like a European town. 

Rhine river

Then we journeyed into France. Our first stop was the Museum of Printed Fabrics in Mulhouse, and I must say that I would have never chosen that type of museum but it was absolutely fascinating and I loved it. We had a private tour, which is another thing I wouldn't have gotten on my own. I bought a Christmas ornament in their gift shop with is just a ball printed with a fabric pattern they have in the museum. 

Then we headed to the Christmas market at Colmar and this was by far my favorite market of the bunch we saw. Very old European, traditional looking. I bought a few more ornaments here. They are wooden circles with pictures of old fashioned Christmas scenes on them. 

After our stop at Colmar, we made it to Strasbourg, where we stayed for 2 nights. I did enjoy Strasbourg as well, but it was very crowded and a very popular place to be at Christmas. The church was beautiful and it was nice to see something besides a market. LOL  Strasbourg has a lot of the half timber houses that look like they are leaning a bit from old age, and it was fun to see them. 

Then we left France and went to Luxembourg. I was excited for this one because it's not a country (or city) I would have ever chosen to stop at on my own. I loved it. The city is beautiful. During our walking tour, I got to hear all about their history, which was great for my history loving self. 

Bock Casemates - WWII tunnels

Palace of the Duchy

And after Luxembourg, our final stop was in Brussels. It was a big city and while the markets were fun, I didn't have any strong impressions, other than construction and traffic, and by that time I was ready to sleep in my own bed. I did bring back a lot of chocolate and ended up with a great bowl of pho one night. 

Besides, all the different countries and Christmas markets, I also took a macaroon class to see how they were made. That class included tasting and taking home some delicious macaroons (which I ate along the way since they don’t stay good for that long). We did a chocolate class in Belgium, which I wouldn’t exactly call a class. We didn’t learn much about chocolate but we got to fill molds with chocolate to make our own to take home, which was fun. I have no idea what I’m going to do with all that chocolate, since I also bought so much. Terrible problem to have, and I’m sure the kids will eat it. 

All things considered, it was a pretty good trip.