Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Cottage in Coconut Grove.
Pinecrest Magazine.Top10. January 2016
Pick a day and check out some of the area’s great history. You might be surprised what’s just around the corner . . .
In my recent article for Pinecrest Lifestyle Magazine we spotlight some well-known and some not-so-known sites. You can also get an idea of the impact of The Villagers, a local historic preservation group celebrating “50 Years of Saving Places” this year. Full disclosure – I am a member, and love that I learn something new every time I’m around that talented. knowledgeable group.
Find out more about The Villagers: http://www.thevillagersinc.org
Hard to believe the week is over and we are headed back to the USA. It’s been a terrific trip! Using the MOVES app on my iPhone, it registers we have walked in excess of 110,000 steps, which translates to about 55 miles. We believe it – we never walked so much; basically all day and then, all evening.
Our last stop, in Frankfurt, involved a few uneventful changes on the train and a more eventful trip to actually find the city
market. Once we did, we were glad to have made the effort. It was incredibly jam-packed with a well-dressed crowd of all ages and an impressive array of food offerings. At this market the ratio of food to décor seemed to be about 80/20. It was beautiful with lots of lights and the section in the historic area was particularly interesting. Lots of fun to people watch and sample of final treats of the trip.
In summary, we are now totally in the Christmas spirit and hope it will last, as we head back to our own pre-holiday chaos.
To all my readers – Merry Christmas!!
Karen & Sarah, Strasbourg.
It’s impossible for words to capture the feeling and quality of the beautiful Christmas Markets in Strasbourg, France. What’s exceptional and unique is the dramatic, over-the-top, décor on the buildings, in the shops, and draped across the streets. Every corner you turn offers a new visual treat, always something cuter, bigger, brighter or more fanciful. Day and night it’s amazing, and I’m glad I came back. It remains my favorite of the Christmas Markets.
Of course this year, things are just a bit different. France has heightened security due to the terrorist attacks a few weeks ago in Paris. They cancelled many public events as well as the Children’s and Three Magi Markets, blocked traffic into the inner city during market hours, cancelled tram stops within the market areas, and literally have police and gun-toting military everywhere. I don’t think we went five minutes (max) without seeing police. One fellow U.S. visitor witnessed them frisking a Santa yesterday, and today, we were blocked from getting back into our charming hotel, because police found an unattended shopping bag on the street. Thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm, and we were comforted they were so vigilant.
Our hotel, the Cour du Corbeau, was built in the 1500s and welcomed kings, emperors and princes throughout the years.
Since the Alsace region flipped back and forth between French and German rule, the area is a wonderful mixture of cultures and now home to the European Parliament. To learn a little of the interesting local history, we took a boat cruise on the L’ill River which runs right through the city, creating an island where the old city is today.
We walked and walked, and then walked some more, visiting Petite France with its half-timbered houses (originally for those with syphilis) and all nine existing markets. The main market is at the Place de la Cathédrale with the backdrop of the beautiful Notre Dame.
The Cathedral Market is really fairly basic, with other, smaller markets featuring more elegant products, the guest country of Luxembourg, local charities, trees along with everything you could possibly need for decorating, and gourmet specialties of the area such as truffles, foie gras, cheese, wine, and pastries.
At night, we did it all again to see the lights. And what a spectacle. Every street different, with thousands and thousands of lights, stars, rings, snowflakes, gingerbread men, balls of color, angels and more. One street features nine Baccarat chandeliers, another can’t run lights across the street because of the electric trams, so they just lit every building in color, and those colors and patterns change continuously.
Weather-wise, it’s been brisk (30s and 40s), but dry.
I can truly say, for this Floridian, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.
Our favorite of the Strasbourg Markets.
The Notre Dame Cathedral.
It’s impossible to photograph the elaborate decorations on top of each of the 250+ booths at the Stuttgart Xmas Markets. Photos don’t do any of it justice. The crowds and the lighting just can’t be mastered with the iPhone camera I am using for this trip (decided not to haul the Nikon around the markets).
The booths of the Stuttgart Christmas Markets meander through the central part of this contemporary city, through an exclusive shopping district and around a few historical buildings that survived WWII. Along the way there is a large model train display, complete with a child-size train for kids to ride, a very busy ice rink, and of course, the requisite dozens of food and drink options.
I hesitate to even call these booths, because many are more like small pop-up stores. These structures are substantial and the fact the operators seriously compete for best decor honors is obvious. The lush greenery is all real and every one of the booths is different and unique. Although vendors sell the usual Xmas decorations, angels, candles and toys, oddly, this market also has items usually found at a home show, or maybe an infomercial (think devices to keep pots from over boiling and special chopping tools). Knives, spatulas, pots and bathroom cleaners notwithstanding, the lights and decorations produce a magical effect. Several mammoth Christmas trees add to the ambiance as does an Advent Calendar in the windows of City Hall.
Based on the massive crowds around every Gluhwein stand, I wonder just how much is consumed in Germany during the four market weeks . . .
A small section of the decorations atop a booth selling wild game food products.
