Eating Our Way Through Seville Between Christmas and New Year’s

12/10/202612/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Solomillo al whisky, pork tenderloin in brandy sauce with fries, on a wooden table at Mamá Carmen in Seville

*Updated as of October 10, 2026*

Dan and I spent New Year’s Eve 2025 in Seville, Spain. We absolutely LOVED Seville, especially at New Year’s, and I will be writing more about our wonderful trip. While there, of course we had to take a Seville food tour, and we opted for one of our favorite food tour companies, Eating Europe. We took the Eating Seville: Tapas, Drinks & Local Flavors Tour on our first full morning, which took us through Santa Cruz, City Hall, El Salvador, and Alfalfa quarters, stopping in four tapas bars and an ice cream shop. This post details our food tour, which is absolutely worth it if you want a fast, guided crash course in Seville tapas. This post is not sponsored.

Giralda bell tower of Seville Cathedral against a blue sky in late December

Seville on December 29, 2025.

Our tour began at 11:00 AM (although as of October 2026, that time is no longer offered; tours now leave at 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM and last about three hours) in the Santa Cruz neighborhood. We learned a bit about the neighborhood, which is historically the Old Jewish Quarter, before landing at our first stop. For those in Seville, Santa Cruz is a beautiful neighborhood filled with loads of history and adorable streets. Very European.

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Colmar Christmas Market: The Perfect Day Trip From Strasbourg (2026)

02/10/202602/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Peach-colored and half-timbered buildings decorated with Christmas garlands in Colmar's old town

Dan and I got engaged in Colmar, France in October 2016. Located in the Alsace region in France (only 30 minutes from the German border via car), Colmar is a picture perfect European town, the town Disney is said to have based Belle’s village on (seriously, you cannot deny this). It is also, arguably, the most magical Christmas town in Alsace. Colmar hosts six absolutely adorable Christmas markets every holiday season. We finally visited in early December 2025 as a day trip from Strasbourg, as part of our first trip to the European Christmas markets. This post shares everything about Colmar’s Christmas markets.

Aerial view of Colmar's half-timbered houses and canal from the Ferris wheel

Beautiful Colmar from the Ferris Wheel.

Colmar Christmas Market 2026: Quick Answers

Dates: November 23 to December 29, 2026. The Gourmet Market and Place Rapp Christmas fair stay open through January 3, 2027.
Hours: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday to Thursday, and 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Friday to Sunday.
Cost to enter: Free. All six markets and the Place Rapp Christmas fair are free to enter.
Train from Strasbourg: About 30 minutes. We paid 30 euro per person round trip, second class, buying tickets the same day.
How long to spend: About five hours. We arrived around 11:00 AM and left around 4:00 PM.
Best day to visit: A weekday. Our Monday visit was busy but never overwhelming.
Mulled wine cup deposit: 2 euro (2025), refundable at any stall in Colmar.

Is a day trip to Colmar worth it?

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Finally, I Made It To The European Christmas Markets!

25/08/202603/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Couple standing beneath the illuminated Strasbourg, Capitale de Noël arch on a crowded street during the Christmas markets

I had been wanting to go to European Christmas markets for years. Truly, YEARS. And finally in 2025, due to Dan’s job change, we found ourselves with an extra week of vacation in December and booked a last minute trip to the Alsace during Christmas market season. We visited Strasbourg, Colmar, Basel, and Paris over the course of a week! I will be posting more about this trip, including information about the Colmar market and comparing Colmar and Strasbourg, but this post details exactly what we did over the course of one week. Highly recommend taking an extra week of vacation to Christmas market hop!

Illuminated wooden chalet stalls at the Christkindelsmarik Christmas market in Strasbourg, France

A real, live Christkindelsmärik.

DAY 1: WELCOME TO STRASBOURG – THE CAPITAL OF CHRISTMAS

We arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle after an overnight flight from Newark (NYC). We took the train, which we pre-booked, directly from CDG to Strasbourg, France. We arrived in Strasbourg in the early afternoon, left our luggage at our hotel, Voco Strasbourg City Center (by IHG), and promptly walked to the Place Kléber Christmas market, one of Strasbourg’s eight (!!) Christmas markets. I didn’t originally expect to jump right into the markets without a nap, but it being too early to check in, off to the markets we went.

Strasbourg's giant Christmas tree lit up in Place Kleber at the Christmas market

Welcome to the Christmas Capital – this is Strasbourg’s largest Christmas tree in Place Kléber.

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Christmas Tea at Edinburgh Castle: A Festive Treat or Just Regular Afternoon Tea?

24/02/202603/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Christmas Tea. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland.

When we visited Edinburgh for Hogmanay, I could not resist booking a “Christmas Tea” at Edinburgh Castle. It sounded magical. We reserved and paid for the tea in advance, excited for a festive afternoon surrounded by holiday cheer. The experience turned out to be fun and fine—though not quite as Christmasy as I’d hoped or imagined. It ended up being more of a regular tea, just taking place during the Christmas season. In this post, I’ll share all the details of our Edinburgh Castle Christmas Tea and what to expect if you’re planning to go yourself! And side note, I am pretty sure the Edinburgh Castle Tea is very similar to the Christmas Tea year round, so read this before booking any Edinburgh Castle Tea experience.

Standing in front of the entrance gate at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

In front of Edinburgh Castle. You cannot get past the entrance gate without a ticket.

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Tottenham Hotspur Premium Travel Club Review: Is the Hospitality Package Worth It?

17/02/202604/10/2026wareontheglobe 3 Comments

Last January, Dan and I spent a long weekend in London with our friends, Bryan and Pryor (we wrapped up the trip with breakfast at Dishoom Kensington). Bryan is a Tottenham Hotspur supporter (yes, I have the lingo down), and Hotspur were playing in London on the one full day we were in town. We purchased Hotspur tickets with access to the Travel Club Premium Lounge in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This post provides a detailed description of what you can expect when purchasing a Hotspur ticket with access to the Travel Club Premium Lounge.