Bernkastel, on the Moselle, had the most classic (and lovely) Market.
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Every trip to Paris needs to include checking out the major landmarks.
The department stores in Paris go all out with Christmas decorations.
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Throughout Paris, there are simple, elegant decorations-no tacky blowup Santas.
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rue Cler is a classic Parisian market street.
We went to a view lounge across the street from our hotel. We had a great view of the Eiffel tower, but the window reflections made for less than stellar photos.
Rheims is a lovely town with a venerable cathedral and a wide range of stained glass windows.
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The US Military Cemetery in Luxembourg was our last stop before embarking. It was a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made during WW II.
Welcome aboard Kir Royales helped put us in the holiday mood.
Throughout the cruise, we had some lovely views of villages, including castles and churches.
Trier Germany was our first Christmas market. It had a wide range of vendors and the first Kathe Wolfharht market we would browse.
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Bernkastel was a favorite stop. Being at a Christmas market in the evening was so charming. One of the many unique things about Bernkastel was their white wine gluhwein which we tried and enjoyed.
We especially enjoyed this vendor in Bernkastel. He was actually making on site the things he was selling.
The lighting and decorations in Bernkastel were very simple and elegant.
Our ship, Viking Alsvin, looked especially welcoming at night.
We arrived in Cochem on the Moselle early in the morning. The market was not yet open, but we enjoyed walking through this scenic town.
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We saw several bakeries throughout our cruise that had unique and very tasty looking baked goods for the Christmas season.
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We arrived at the Koblenz market just as it was opening so there weren’t crowds but many booths were not yet open.
Some charming booths at the Koblenz market.
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Chagall windows in the Cathedral in Mainz.
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Speyer was another German town we visited along the Rhine
The towns had unique scenes throughout their markets. This statue is in Speyer.
Schoolchildren in Speyer were excited to visit the Christmas Market.
Another lovely castle along the Rhine
Strasbourg had scenic canals in the Petit France area.
Shops in Strasbourg were lavishly, but tastefully, decorated for Christmas
Strasbourg had several squares with very festive decorations
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Strasbourg Cathedral was the largest we saw on the cruise
A beautiful sunset view from the ship
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In spite of the pouring rain we were happy to be at Zurich’s Christmas market
Zurich had the largest Kathe Wolfharht store where we went a bit overboard
So many ornaments we NEEDED!!
Zurich’s magnificent central tree was the most lavish tree we saw
Almost every building in Zürich is tastefully decorated for Christmas.
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