A visit from Mom

Sorry I haven't posted in over a week, but I have been busy preparing for and then enjoying the visit of my mom. It was so great to see her and have her here with us in Strasbourg. She had a whirlwind week full of Christmas markets and sightseeing and I loved seeing her experience France.

Here are some highlights.........
St. Nicholas visits French children on the night of December 5th. Don't get this confused with Santa......totally different person. He usually brings traditional tasty treats and we were very excited to receive our first visit from him.


Strasbourg is the french "capital of Christmas." I can attest to this by the insane crowds that flock here from all over France every weekend to soak in our beautifully lit Christmas markets. These markets are all over the city and offer all things Christmas.....crafts, ornaments, warm spiced wine, and every kind of delicious treat you can imagine. The city is especially charming after dark, when the entire city is lit by christmas lights. So, of course, we spent several evenings exploring.





We spent two days and one night in Paris. Peter was busy studying, so I was the sole navigator of this trip. Those of you who know my sense of direction (or lack there-of) understand why this picture is so important. I did a lot of this during our 48 hours in Paris. I am proud to say, however, that we didn't get lost once.


Our hotel was down the street from the Eiffel Tower, so it was our first stop.


We tried to hit as many highlights as possible.....here is mom at the Conciergerie:


We walked all the way down Champs-Élysées in the evening rain. The entire way is lit by pink twinkle lights (the parisian version of Christmas I guess) and it was so incredibly beautiful. The rain made it even more spectacular. (That is until we were searching for the metro stairs and crossing the 10 lanes of traffic to find that the stop was actually on the other side of the street.)


Notre Dame was extra special because of the gigantic Christmas tree in front:

After returning from Paris, we filled the rest of our time with more Christmas fun.

I taught mom my new "bredle" making skills..... here is the finished product:


And we ate a delicious Raclette dinner:


Unfortunately for Peter, he had several papers and presentations due this week, so this is how he spent the week:



But he did come out of the cave long enough to help with the Christmas tree:





All of our holiday decorations (including halloween costumes) are in the same box. After writing 3 papers and 2 presentations in one week, the pirate hat and sword were too much for Peter to resist. But then, everybody knows that christmas tree decorating is even more fun when you are wearing a pirate hat...........


All in all Mom's visit was such an incredible blessing and a great way to start the Christmas season. Thanks Mom!