Unexpected Urban Decor - Baccarat Chandeliers on Rue des Hallebardes (GALLERY)

How romantic would it be to stroll the streets of France an instead of streetlamps, had your evening stroll illuminated by the cascading glow from chandeliers?

It must have been vraiment enchanting to see these glowing in the night in the small town bordering Germany. They are hung as part of the December light festivals in Strasbourg, in the province of Alsace, France.

The chandeliers, enclosed in Baccarat cases, are strung up alongside Rue des Hallebardes near the cathedral. All of them are clear crystal except for the two on the very end of the street which are black.

The town is known as being the “Christmas Capitol of Europe” so they make full use of this reputation during the month of December to bring as many tourists as possible. They have countless Christmas markets, just like in Germany, and it seems every nook and cranny of the city is decorated to the nines. What do you expect in a place where Germany and France merge?

Yes, it’s a little cheesy, but perhaps it’s the hopeless romantic in me who finds an appeal in this.

Do you remember the illuminated aquariums inside phone booths? Those were also part of a French light festival, the Fête des lumières in Lyon.

Urban Aquarium - Fish Tank Phone Booth (GALLERY)

It’s surprising the crowd surrounding this peculiar urban aquarium installation isn’t bigger. The fish tank, designed by Benedetto Bufalino, was installed inside a phone booth in Lyon, France. It’s fascinating by day, but at night when darkness sets it, the obscurity it adds to the streets is surre… [More]