Mathias Dahlgren 2014

Mathias Dahlgren 2014

by Wen Sweden

Scandinavian style cuisine. It's located in the Grand hotel. The restaurant is very laid back and we were seated in the bar. We ordered a bunch of dishes and share. Great flavors. The flatbread presented in a brown bag is served with the creamiest butter I thought it's very interesting.

Scallop

Fried endive

King crab

Langoustine

Reindeer heart

Citrus

Wild chocolate

Sweet snack

Lille

Lille

by Wen France

Things to Do & See

1. LA GRAND PLACE

We visited Lille for the Christmas Market. The atmosphere was really festive with an illuminated Ferris wheel and enormous Christmas tree. Great to walk round with a warm glass of mulled wine or hot apple cider.

lille

lille-grand-place

lille_xmas_market

lille-xmas

2. LE VIEUX-LILLE

lille-city

lille_old-town

le_vieux-lille

le-vieux-lille

Lunch at A l’Huîtrière
a-lhuitriere

a-lhuitriere-lille

lille_a-lhuitriere

lille-a-lhuitriere

Paul
lille-paul

3. LA VIEILLE BOURSE (OLD STOCK EXCHANGE)

The stock exchange is a striking building in the center of Lille. Inside courtyard was a small antiques fair used by traders selling second hand books, antiques, and records.
lille-old-stock-exchange

4. LE TRIPOSTAL

Always fun checking out the cool modern art in a new town. The museum is big and inviting. Plenty of space to walk round. The exhibits are so varied, that there’s something for everyone.

le-tripostal_lille

lille_le-tripostal

lille-le-tripostal

5. PORTE DE PARIS

It is a commemorative monument for the victories of Louis XVI. It served as the town gates as well as an Arc de Triomphe.
lille-porte-de-paris

Dinner at La Menara
lille-la-menara

Cologne Christmas Market

Cologne Christmas Market

by Wen Christmas Market

Cologne hosts a number of Christmas markets throughout the city. Each has its own special atmosphere and its own program. The biggest one is at Cologne Cathedral. The best way to explore the Christmas markets is by foot. You can also ride on the Christmas-Market-Express train visit the various Christmas Markets directly.

I liked the diversity of each of the markets along with the food. Make sure that you visit the markets at night as well as during the daytime, as they take on a completely different feel.

 

Plenty of superb food and drink but also the stalls sell quality goods and products. All markets have their own individual mug designs which you can get your Gluhwein in.

Prague Christmas Market

Prague Christmas Market

by Wen Christmas Market

The city has 2 main Christmas markets and you can visit both of them in one day. You can hang around for the main tree to be lit up on Old Town Square and then walk to Wenceslas Square (as in Old King Wenceslas). They are about 5 minutes’ walk from each other. 

Beautiful architecture surrounding the square and the wonderful cathedral with its astronomical clock. It was a truly stunning place to visit.

 

Trdelník is my favorite thing to eat in Prague. The dough itself isn’t actually all that sweet, but the outside has a caramelized richness and aromas of burnt sugar. Perfect with hot chocolate or mulled wine. It's one of the reasons you have to come back to Prague again! 

If you are looking for great holiday destinations with beautiful Christmas markets to soak in the festive mood, you have to visit the Prague Old Town Square in December. Very crowded in Christmas season but also very beautiful at night.

Nuremberg Christmas Market

Nuremberg Christmas Market

by Wen Christmas Market

The Christmas Market in Nuremberg dates back over 450 years. It's one big market spreading practically all over the old town area. The Christmas market mingles well with the architecture which historically spans over hundred years. This was my first introduction to Christmas Markets and was really amazing!

Nothing beats the feeling of walking around a Christmas market in Nuremberg. You can find gorgeous Christmas decorations and traditional toys here. The historic stagecoach takes about 10 minutes to tour around the market. Its a nostalgic way to see this city while all tucked up with warm blankets.

Definitely try the city’s famous Nuremberg Lebkuchen (gingerbread), mulled wine (buy the souvenir mug – it’s worth the few extra $), sweet roasted almonds, and Rostbratwurst (sausages). On the chilly nights and days it is such a treat to sip the hot mulled wine as you peruse the stalls. You can collect the mug from various cities in remembrance of your travels.

Paris

Paris

by Wen France

Things to Do & See

1. EIFFEL TOWER | 2003

eiffel-tower

2. MUSEE DU LOUVRE | 2003

louvre

musee-du_louvre

musee-du-louvre

3. NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL | 2003

notre-dame-cathedral

4. BASILICA DU SACRE-COEUR DE MONTMARTRE | 2003

basilica-montmartre

montmartre

montmartre

5. SAINTE CHAPELLE | 2003

sainte-chapelle_paris

sainte-chapelle-paris

6. VERSAILLES PALACE | 2003

versailles-palace

versailles_palace

france-versailles-palace

versailles

versailles_palace-inside

versailles-palace-france

7. CENTRE POMPIDOU | 2003

centre-pompidou

paris-centre-pompidou

8. PONT ALEXANDRE III | 2003

alexander-bridge

6. LUXEMBOURG GARDENS | 2003

luxembourg-garden

luxembourg-gardens

9. GALERIES LAFAYETTE | 2003

galeries-lafayette

galeries-lafayette-paris

10. PRINTEMPS | 2003

printemps

11. PALAIS GARNIER | 2003

opera-national-de-paris

palais-garnier

11. PALAIS GARNIER | 2012

opera-national-paris-2012

palais-garnier-2012

12. ARC DE TRIOMPHE | 2012

arc_de-triomphe

arc-de_triomphe

13. RIVER SEINE | 2012

notre-dame-paris

paris-2012

paris2012

Pierre Hermé| 2012
pierre-herme

Lunch at Le Procope | 2012

le-procope

cafe-procope

les-deux-magots

Lunch at L’entracte Opera | 2012
lentracte-opera

Dinner at Zoe’s | 2003
paris-zoe-2003

Dinner at Zoe’s | 2012
paris-zoe

Ronchamp

by Wen France

Things to Do & See

CHAPELLE NOTRE DAME DU HAUT

This chapel is designed by Le Corbusier and completed in 1954. It must have been the most amazing modern building in those days. This place has a calm and timeless atmosphere. Not crowded, allow time to thoroughly explore it.

notre-dame_du-haut

notre-dame-du-haut

Photos cannot supply the perspective that actually being there in person presents. See the dim and how’s the light shining through the different sized, colored, and shaped windows.

notre_dame-du-haut

notre-dame_du_haut

notre-dame-du-haut_dorm

Dinner at Au Bureau
au-bureau

Belfort

by Wen France

Things to Do & See

BELFORT CITADEL & THE LION OF BELFORT

The citadel is very large, though much of it has been destroyed during the war. The huge lion was created to mark the city’s brave fight during the German siege under the French-Prussian war.
belfort

belfort_cave

belfort_cafe

belfort_dessert

From the platform there is a brilliant view over the city and the landscape. Worth the walk to the very top to see the perspective of the town.

belfort_city

belfort_view

belfort-view

belfort_wall

Mulhouse

by Wen France

Things to Do & See

1. CITE DE L’AUTOMOBILE

We spent several hours at this museum. The car collection is huge and really impressive. The exhibition focus on European cars, especially Bugatti and a host of early French manufacturers. A superb history of the car, well presented from the very earliest days to latest technology.

cite_de-lautomobile

cite-de-lautomobile

cite-de-lautomobile_mulhou

cite-de_lautomobile

cite_de_lautomobile

2. MULHOUSE OLD TOWN

Mulhouse was nearly totally destroyed during War World II so therefore it has been rebuilt. We stopped by the old town after visited the automobile museum. There happened to be a summer concert and it was a lot of fun. Great to have a beer and watch the world go by!

mulhouse-old-town

mulhouse_old_town

The pink city hall and the cathedral are the main attractions at the main square.
mulhouse

kaysersberg-dinner

mulhouse-dinner

mulhouse-concert

mulhouse-night

Colmar

Colmar

by Wen France

Things to Do & See

1. LITTLE VENICE

The river flowing through gives it a very slight resemblance to Venice. We enjoyed our day trip to Colmar, especially the 30 minutes boat ride on the canal. The first part of the trip takes you out of little Venice and upstream for a little way. The water is so clear, you can see fish inside!

colmar_little_venice

colmar-little-venice

2. OLD TOWN

Colmar is one of several beautiful old Alsace towns. An interesting combination of German and French influences. Wonderful cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, canals and the flower-decked bridges. We took the little train for a mini tour of Colmar.

colmar_train

colmar-old-town

colmar_old_town

3. MERCHE COUVERT

I always like strolling around local food markets to see what local products are being sold. Here you find the local cheeses, wines and sausages. Nice place to grab a snack and look around.
marche-couvert_colmar

colmar-marche-couvert

4. EGLISE ST-MARTIN

Lovely cathedral in the heart of old Colmar. A wonderful place to sit for a while and take in the beautiful architecture and windows.
colmar-st-martin

Lunch at Cave Wolfberger
cave-wolfberger-colmar_lunc

cave-wolfberger-colmar