What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been

Well, Portugal in late October/early November was much easier than Germany, France, and Switzerland.  I talked Carol into this trip because I wanted to squeeze two trips to Europe into 2021, not realizing there would be yet another surge. 

I guess I am an optimist, thinking the drop in late summer was the final coughing and sneezing of COVID.

And, that also meant there was the hiccup of the German Christmas markets being closed in the states where we were.  Rothenburg and Esslingen are great medieval towns to visit, but the markets would have been the icing on the cake.

That said, we still enjoyed the trip.  Yes, it started with the downer that the markets in the area of Germany we were in were closed (they were open in other German states), and spending a large chunk of the first day with issues getting into the apartment, and then getting a COVID test.  

Keep in mind, we also had the possibility that the French and Swiss markets would be closed down.  Fortunately, that obviously did not happen.  At night, the difference between having the markets closed (Germany) and open (France/Switz) felt akin to the difference between Eastern Europe and Western Europe during the Cold War.

But:

• We did have five nights with Christmas markets, compared to four nights without.
• The markets in Strasbourg and Colmar were magical.
• Chateau Haut-Koenigsbourg was a great castle to spend a morning.
• Julia was indispensable for figuring out what the COVID rules were.
• I would recommend this itinerary (or the 2019 one) to anyone looking to experience the magic of the European Christmas markets.
• None of the three of us had ever been any place we went, so it was all new to us, and that was great.
• The decision to skip Stuttgart since the markets weren't open was a good one.
• I was blown away by how impressive the lights were in Strasbourg and Colmar.  It seemed like almost every building had an impressive Christmas display or set of lights.  That really adds to the magic!

Re-upping some of my observations from the final 2019 Christmas markets tour blog post:

• We really enjoyed the combination of Christmas markets and sight-seeing.  If you haven't been, save the markets for dark (it gets dark early there in December, of course).
• I did like the trading off of eating "street food" from the food stalls at the markets with sitting down at restaurants to eat.  I would not have wanted every meal from a market stall, but doing it once every two or three days was pretty good.
• Don't get me wrong, I liked the food at the restaurants, and German/Swiss/Alsatian food is better than its' reputation, but there is a certain repetitive nature to the food.   
• One observation that struck me about the markets is that they are as much a social gathering place for locals to eat and drink as it is for tourists to shop and wander.  I wish American cities had a draw like this.
• They do the non-religious parts of Christmas very well in Europe.

Will we go again on another Christmas markets trip?  Likely yes, but it will be a while before I start planning the next one.  Prediction?  It will include Prague and Berlin.  And trains will be involved as they were in 2019.  

I have to believe that at some point, our COVID troubles will be out of sight.  So have yourself a Merry Little Christmas, now.