Sunday 3 December 2017

Not your everyday gargoyle!

Pretty colorful, innit! I am not quite sure if it actually a gargoyle, it might be an art piece.
Strasbourg is a city of gargoyle. I don't think anybody counted them, but there might be several hundreds of them, or more. They are everywhere!

Friday 1 December 2017

December theme day: gift

Hi there. This is me, 7 years ago, recovering from open heart surgery in the ICU, at St Paul's hospital in Barcelona. I was given the gift of life.
A few years later, in Skopje, Macedonia, I suffered a severe stroke. And I died, my "new" heart just stopped. The doctors there, at the university hospital, brought me back, after 2 minutes. Again, the gift of life. Life changing experiences, both of them.
You guessed it, this month's CDP theme day is: gift. Being half german, I just HAVE to tell you that Gift is german for poison...;-) Waiting for german posts about that theme...
Anyway, just click here to see what my dudes and dudettes did about it! Do it now!

Thursday 30 November 2017

Number 3

Third time lucky! After 2 broken trees (see a past post), the big christmas tree (well, a miserly 28 meters tall) is up and decorated. Much bigger than the "big" one on Times Square in New York, a ridiculous 23 meters... Ha, WE BEAT  NYC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Strasbourg, capitale de Noel, capital of Christmas.

Wednesday 29 November 2017

Having some wine at the cathedral


It is getting really cold, barely above freezing. So, a vin chaud, aka mulled wine, aka Gluehwein, is good for a lot of of things: makes you warm, help fighting colds, it it opens the appetite, it boosts the immune system, and so on... Louis Pasteur called it the healthiest of drinks.

Tuesday 28 November 2017

Monday 27 November 2017

Hark the angels

The main street leading to the cathedral. It is even busier than it looks, thousands and thousands of tourists, all of them stopping abruptly (right in front of me, usually) for photos... You won't find many locals there for the next 5 weeks. Well, there is me...

Sunday 26 November 2017

It's christmassing

A butcher's christmas decoration... The 447th christmas market has started, the tourist hordes are coming, all 2.5 millions of them...

Thursday 23 November 2017

The big clock in the sky

I had to be in town early this morning, so I took my obligatory 2nd coffee of the day at the train station. No moon, just a big clock.

Wednesday 22 November 2017

Good morning!

The view from my kitchen window, whilst sipping my first coffee of the day

Monday 20 November 2017

Sunday 19 November 2017

Christmas tree, episode 3

Right. Every year, in time for the opening of the Christmas market, the city puts up the tallest possible pine tree on place Kleber, aka the main square.
Well, it started well. They found a tall one, 36 meters, in the mountains nearby. They cut it, and... it broke into 3 pîeces.
One week later, they cut another one. This one made it to the city, and was put up. The city workers were decorating it, when... they noticed a large crack.
So, this is number 3...  Let's touch wood.
The Christkindlsmaerik, or christmas market, opens next weekend.  I'll keep you posted.

Saturday 18 November 2017

Thursday 16 November 2017

Post 500

I lived in front of Parc Monceau in Paris for a few years, and it still is as beautiful as 34 years ago

Tuesday 14 November 2017