Strasborug, France & Black Forest

Day 5: Helene In Between River Cruise – Strasbourg â€“ The Capital of Christmas and a Journey into the Black Forest

Strasbourg: The CAPITAL OF Christmas

We started the day touring beautiful Strasbourg, France. Today was the only day we explored outside of Germany and I truly loved walking through the stunning Petite France area in Strasbourg. Before departing Strasbourg for the Black Forest, I stopped in a cafe for my favorite french ham and butter baguette and a madeleine cookie.

Black Forest Tour

The Black Forest area is absoutely stunning and I wish we had more time to explore it. Our first stop was to visitÂ Vogtsbauernhof, an open-air museum that showcases the traditional life of the Black Forest region. We got to see the uniqueÂ traditional Schwarzwald dress and learned about the regionâ€™s famousÂ cuckoo clocks.

At the museum, we enjoyed a piece of the famous Black Forest (SchwarzwÃ¤lder Kirschtorte), a rich and indulgent dessert made with layers of chocolate cake, cherries, and whipped cream, all soaked in the regionâ€™s famous cherry schnapps. Althought it’s not my favorite because it’s very liquor soaked, the cake was great.

I even purchased a handmade cuckoo clock! They were able to ship directly to the States for us which made it convenient to purchase and not worry about damaging it throughout the rest of my journey back home. They had several cute clocks that had my name on it or “Heidi’s Haus” but I chose one that was more traditional. The clock had two dogs on it but I asked if they had a clock with cats, of course 🙂 They were able to replace two dogs with two cats and ship it to me. They were so kind and we even got to meet the clock maker himself!

If I return again someday, I would love to enjoy the hiking trails in the Black Forest including the Westweg, Feldberg, or visit the Triberg waterfalls. I would also like to visit Baden, a spa town known for it’s Roman baths and wellness centers.

We headed to spend an evening in Gengenbach, home to the worldâ€™s largest Advent calendar, a historic building with 24 large windows, each decorated with festive scenes. The crowd gathered and the experience captures the true spirit of Christmas in the Black Forest.

The local market was crowded due to the calendar however, it was such a unique and quaint experience. We had an amazing hot gin beverage that was served in a unique weck jar.

EVENING IN Strasbourg

We headed back for a quick stop in Strasbourg, France on the way back to our river cruise. It was beautiful to see the markets at night with all the festive lights.

If I return someday I would like to visit the Notre-Dame Cathedral to see the astronomical clock, take a boat cruise on the Ill River, visit Parc de l’Orangerie and the European Parliament.