This weekend five friends and I went to Strasbourg! It is actually kind of funny because Jackie, Lauren and I planned our trip separately from the other 3 girls who ended up going. It was nice to have a bigger group to do things with though.
I have to start by RAVING about the TGV, or bullet train. The French are so smart when it comes to transportation. This train got us to Strasbourg in just over two hours! The seats were comfortable with personal reading lights, cup holders, a tray, a foot rest and a mini trashcan. I didn’t get to sit by my friends on either trip because we booked our tickets separately but I was thrilled by the train ride the entire way there and back. I’m so excited to take it a few more times while I’m here, especially during the day when I can see the countryside.
Ok, raving done. Strasbourg! It is a quaint city very close to Germany. The German influence is thus very heavy. The tram system was really easy to use which made getting around the city stress free. We stayed in a hotel that cost 18 euro a night, not too shabby. Friday night we got in kind of late and asked the lady at our hotel where we could eat. She told us that most places stop serving food by 10pm, such a change from Paris!
Saturday we started the day by touring the Cathedral. It is one of the tallest Cathedrals I have ever seen! We got to see the demonstration of the astronomical clock. They played a movie beforehand that wasn’t very informative and therefore not really worth it but still amazing how they were able to make the figures move way back in the day (At a nearby museum on Sunday we saw the original rooster that was on the clock, most clocks like this have a rooster on it. The rooster happens to be the oldest automated object in the world. I included a picture!) After the Cathedral we took the canal tour around the historic part of town. Like Paris, part of the city is surrounded by rivers. The tour was very international. You could listen to the narration in ten different languages. We saw all around the city including the European Parliament establishments that are in Strasbourg.
After the tour we ate at a German restaurant (that we ended up back at on Sunday) that was so cute! I got to eat my cheese spaetzle that I was hoping to find since Strasbourg is so close to Germany. I would describe spaetzle as the German mac and cheese. My German friend Anne’s mom made it for us one of the first nights we were in Germany a few summers ago. This wasn’t as good as hers, but still exciting.
Continuing the eating spree… we went to a chocolate museum! The museum was on the outskirts of the city but was easy enough to get to. We saw how chocolate is made as well as how it traveled to Europe. The museum had some creepy automated figures that we spent a lot of time laughing at and posing with. At the end, one of the chocolatiers shows you how they make the molds of chocolate and gives you free samples. Before we left we purchased some chocolate beer. I wouldn’t really recommend it… but it was worth it just to try.
Sunday the weather turned on us a little. Apparently the Alcase region in France has extreme weather, either really cold or really hot. Sunday was pretty cold and rainy. Luckily, we started the day by climbing the tower of the Cathedral. Remember I told you it was one of the tallest I’ve ever seen? Well yes, it was painful. We took frequent breaks up the winding stone staircase. But once we got to the top it was totally worth it! (See pictures.) The rest of the day we spent in museums and buying cookies at a really cool traditional gourmet shop.
The trip was great because it was very stress free. We felt safe in the streets and even felt like we knew them by the end of the weekend. We all traveled together really well. It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Paris, but at the same time made us appreciate the city we are studying in. General observation of Strasbourg: the people are incredibly incredibly nice. Every person we ran into was patient with our French, willing to help us and one lady even offered to take a picture of us jumping on top of the Cathedral. I really enjoyed my weekend and I’m excited to travel more in Paris! We’re going to Bretagne in two weeks.
In other news: I, like everyone else in program, have a cold. It’s really not bad at all and I’m glad I’m getting it now rather than later. My host parents are really caring and are always asking how I’m doing and gave me weird French medicine. It’s funny to hear what they believe will cure a cold. For example, my host dad told me to drink some wine before going to bed… maybe I’ll try it tonight ;-)
The beautiful cathedral of Strasbourg. Check out the detail on those portals.
Stained glass inside the Cathedral. I get really frustrated when I'm in a Cathedral because it's impossible to capture the grandeur of it in a picture... guess you guys will just have to visit it!
The astronomical clock we saw!
One of the buildings of the European Parliament in Strasbourg taken from the boat tour.
The chocolatier at the museum showing us how he makes chocolate cats and trains!
An area of Strasbourg called Petite France. It was so pretty lit up at night.
Taken from the window on the windy staircase going up the Cathedral during one of our many breaks.
The six girls on the trip.
I had to include our jumping picture. It's fantastic :-)
Palais Rohan. Inside there are three museums.
We visited the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. We saw the apartments in this Palace of different French kings including this Napoleon I. I believe Marie Antoinette slept in this room once.
The original rooster on the clock. The oldest automated object in the world!
I took this specifically for you Uncle Tommy. There was a random exhibit of a collection of toys one man gave to the museum in the earlyish 1900s. I saw these old cars and thought of you!
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