Christmas markets in Colmar

Yesterday BK and I went with some friends to Colmar, France to visit the Christmas markets. It's still kind of weird to me that we can just hop on a train and be in another country in less than an hour. The weather in Basel and the surrounding areas has actually been pretty good- highs around 45 or so, but sunny!

Colmar train station

It's a nice walk from the train station to the middle of the city and you pass some interesting buildings on the way.

Former palace, now government building

Water tower

Colmar is an Alsatian town, is very charming and is known for its "petit Venice", with canals going through the middle of town. Our first stop was a late lunch at a restaurant that served regional specialties that was very near one of the canals. If you venture to Colmar make sure to make reservations at a restaurant, as they are nearly impossible to get into without one!

Colmar canal

The whole city is decorated for Christmas, which makes it seems like there is a fair going on all month long, with rides, craft stalls, food stalls, mulled wine, and lots of lights everywhere. Colmar has many little shops that offer handmade, local goods ranging from food to textiles to clothing. Most of the streets in this area are off limits for cars, making it easy to get around.

I thought I would post the picture below…every time I try to get BK to pose for a picture with me right now, the first thing he does is stick his "belly" out toward mine for the photo. We missed the one where he was doing his pose, but you get the idea.

Colmar street

The city looks completely different at night with everything lit up. After our lunch we just explored the town, stopping in random stores and stall along the way, with AH, CH and BK enjoying some mulled wine and me enjoying some hot chocolate. Here are a few pics of the rest of our time there.

We caught the train back to Basel around 7 and headed home. Unfortunately, that also meant that we were then getting BK ready to head to the US for ten days before I get there. 

So, it's just me and the boys this week…we'll keep ourselves busy walking, finishing Christmas shopping, wrapping up things for the year here, various appointments for Baby K and spending time with friends here before heading to the US for Christmas.