Wednesday my host dad, host mom, and I took the little train from Soultzbach to Colmar to go to the much larger Christmas markets there. After breakfast we went down to the small station and hopped aboard. We got off the train and walked into the city. Colmar was absolutely beautiful. I think I took a picture of every building in there. Christmas markets were everywhere. Buildings were wrapped in garland and Christmas trees filled the streets. All that was missing was a little bit of snow (a lot of it had melted because the week of Christmas was actually a bit warmer than the preceding days). The Christmas markets were stands set up with vendors selling everything from giant pretzels (a speciality of the region) to cactus flavored chocolate (it tasted mostly like white chocolate with a hint of cactus-it was green!). I saw la creche de Noël (the nativity) with figurines and live goats and also fully in chocolate. Throughout the day I got to taste samples of several different types of Christmas sweets. My host dad bought me a pretzel-the best one I've ever eaten. I tried de vin chaud, hot wine, which is a hot red wine with a spiced taste somewhat similar to apple cider. I also had a sandwich that was on the same bread that makes up a pretzel. My host mom bought us each une tete de nègre (yea, interesting name) which has a white creamy interior (similar to whipped cream) and is covered in a hard shell of chocolate. MMMMM... so delicious. In the evening before getting back on the train my host mom got une gaufre (waffle), and I got un manala (the little man made from brioche-same thing my host dad made his birthday weekend). Ok, so the food part aside, I have to mention La Petite Venise in Colmar. Little Venice is an area in the town which gets its name because of the little river that runs through it. All of the buildings are bright colors, such as yellow, purple, turquoise, and green. There truly is an air of being in Venice (although I can't really attest to that as I've never been to Venice-after I go in April on the EuroTrip I'll change this statement if I find it contradicting my actual venetian experience). A faux santa was even on a gondola in the river. It was wonderful! I loved Colmar, and I want to go back during the Christmas season at some point in my life. Wednesday my host dad, host mom, and I took the little train from Soultzbach to Colmar to go to the much larger Christmas markets there. After breakfast we went down to the small station and hopped aboard. We got off the train and walked into the city. Colmar was absolutely beautiful. I think I took a picture of every building in there. Christmas markets were everywhere. Buildings were wrapped in garland and Christmas trees filled the streets. All that was missing was a little bit of snow (a lot of it had melted because the week of Christmas was actually a bit warmer than the preceding days). The Christmas markets were stands set up with vendors selling everything from giant pretzels (a speciality of the region) to cactus flavored chocolate (it tasted mostly like white chocolate with a hint of cactus-it was green!). I saw la creche de Noël (the nativity) with figurines and live goats and also fully in chocolate. Throughout the day I got to taste samples of several different types of Christmas sweets. My host dad bought me a pretzel-the best one I've ever eaten. I tried de vin chaud, hot wine, which is a hot red wine with a spiced taste somewhat similar to apple cider. I also had a sandwich that was on the same bread that makes up a pretzel. My host mom bought us each une tete de nègre (yea, interesting name) which has a white creamy interior (similar to whipped cream) and is covered in a hard shell of chocolate. MMMMM... so delicious. In the evening before getting back on the train my host mom got une gaufre (waffle), and I got un manala (the little man made from brioche-same thing my host dad made his birthday weekend). Ok, so the food part aside, I have to mention La Petite Venise in Colmar. Little Venice is an area in the town which gets its name because of the little river that runs through it. All of the buildings are bright colors, such as yellow, purple, turquoise, and green. There truly is an air of being in Venice (although I can't really attest to that as I've never been to Venice-after I go in April on the EuroTrip I'll change this statement if I find it contradicting my actual venetian experience). A faux santa was even on a gondola in the river. It was wonderful! I loved Colmar, and I want to go back during the Christmas season at some point in my life.