There are Christmas markets, and then there’s Strasbourg. I had booked a last-minute trip to this city in eastern France for my Christmas-obsessed 11-year-old daughter, Jane.

There are Christmas markets, and then there's Strasbourg. I had booked a last-minute trip to this city in eastern France for my Christmas-obsessed 11-year-old daughter, Jane.

Over the years Strasbourg has taken turns under both German and French rule. While the city currently has been a part of ...