Colmar or the Magic Castle of Santa Claus

I think that holidays change with the age of the traveler. I was never attracted to winter escapades at Christmas markets, although five years ago I spent an Eve in Vienna. I understand the pleasure of drinking a cup of mulled wine, eating a fried cheese and buying some souvenirs for friends. But that's about it!

In December 2017, my life was turned upside down by the proposal of some friends to go to Colmar, Alsace. Maybe you will do the same as I did: Colmar…where..what…how…in what country is it. Colmar is in France, 30 km from Basel, Switzerland, 50 km from Strasbourg. It was declared the most beautiful Christmas market a few years ago, and in 2017 it seems to be in first place in this top. It is a typical Alsatian city, with German architecture and French cuisine. A land of sparkling wine and the land of Santa Claus in December. A city that transforms overnight into a place full of lights, with trees decorated with globes, paid for by the authorities, with a phenomenal mulled wine and an extremely strange climate.

To the right you go to Switzerland, to the left to France or Germany

To get to Colmar we bought tickets for the Bucharest -Basel flight. The airport is a common one: Switzerland, France. That is why I recommend you to be extremely careful which country you want to enter. You will arrive in front of signs that will direct you either to Switzerland, France or Germany (the nearest German city is only 30 minutes away by car).

Although we had rented a car from a French company, we were surprised to find that the counter was closed and we were directed to the Swiss neighbors. Probably like other tourists who suffered like us, we headed again to the land of milk chocolate under the strict supervision of the smiling customs officers. It was as if what they were thinking was being read on their faces, "again, they took the wrong path". Do not think that we were the only ones in this situation! With the card thinned by Swiss francs instead of euros, we headed towards the fortress that would become our host for three days.

Wake up to the smell of croissants

For three days I lived right in the Christmas market (link booking). Yes! If we had been busy, we could have ordered mulled wine and a croissant from the window.
We arrived in Colmar around 22.30:21.00 p.m., and looked for a restaurant to eat. Unfortunately, all the kitchens of the restaurants were closed, as were the booths in the Christmas markets. The maximum schedule is until 24.00! I can say that we were lucky because a nice lady from a bar called one of the few restaurants in the area that still served food until midnight and managed to get us a reservation at "Le Flint". It is a restaurant of taxi drivers where they eat traditional Alsatian food, and the portions are enormous and the prices normal, not being a tourist restaurant. I recommend the beef steak that comes with the split bone full of marrow. The walk at minus 2 degrees to the place of accommodation was actually a brisk walk without much time to visit the city. The Christmas tree placed in front of the cathedral caught our eye. In fact, it was an installation for entertainers - the tourists sat comfortably in globes cut out and transformed into cabins.

At seven in the morning, on a holiday, a strong smell filled the traditional Alsatian house. As if from nowhere and as if from everywhere came a strong smell of croissant. Amazing how the brain reacts and as if at a signal we all look for the piece of hot dough in the kitchen. In fact, on the ground floor of the house, some healthy Alsatian women were spinning coke and taking the goodies out of the ovens. They were scared when they saw me in my pajamas, walking around like a sleepwalker who had only one wish: not to leave there without fresh coffee and croissants. If you like this kind of breakfast, for four people you will pay around 12 euros.

They compete and work together

In the small historical Colmar you are not allowed to drive later than 11.00:XNUMX a.m. Everything becomes pedestrian so that those who have decided to come on vacation can visit as many places as possible, consume as much as possible and feel safe. And here you can feel how those who have businesses in the area fought with the authorities to win together. The entrances to all the shops were similar - decorated fir trees on the left and right of the door. Then the owners of houses, guesthouses and hotels are in a consort to beautify. In the evening when all the lights came on, you didn't know where to look, you didn't know what photo to take. Every building, street, decorated tree seems different to you. In the evening, the Colmar citadel turns into the land of Santa Claus.

And those who sell mulled wine also work together, although they have different prices and different recipes. When you buy your first glass of wine, you also get the container. A plastic glass with the inscription of the city, with traditional Christmas motives and which can be transformed into a memory that you can take home. Every time you buy wine from any retailer, you can choose to keep that glass, exchange it for another, or you can get one euro back - as much as you paid at the beginning. Another aspect, perhaps unpleasant for ladies, is the store schedule. We didn't manage in the three days to understand when they were open because almost every time we found them closed even though we roamed the city in the morning, at lunch and in the evening.

What "memories" I came home with

I also arrived on the day to take home memories. In addition to the traditional magnet, it cost 3 euros, I chose a traditional beef sausage with aromatic herbs, a smoked duck breast and a piece of cheese matured for 4 years. Maybe you will laugh, but every time I eat from the "memories" of Colmar, the image of the illuminated buildings and the snowflakes from the first morning comes to my mind.

To try: Tarte Flambée : 'Alsatian pizza style'. An extremely thin pizza dough filled with cheeses seasoned according to your preferences with ham or bacon. Phenomenal! If you order the forest one then you will choose from onions and mushrooms. I paid between 10 and 11 euros for one, but I considered it an appetizer.

Things to know: Parking . You are not allowed to park in the city center during the Christmas markets. Just a few minutes away you will find a paid parking lot. 4 days – 7 euros

I'm going: Yes! I want to feel the Alsatian air also in the middle of summer when Colmar turns into a big flower garden, full of terraces located on the banks of the canal that crosses the whole city. The Little Venice of Alsace - that's what the fortress is called during the summer season.