A Gem of a Town

Salut!

We have a mapped taped up on our apartment wall of France.  We look at it constantly, trying to determine where we will go exploring next.  Jeff and I see it as a challenge to get as many dots as possible without making ourselves crazy.  Since we knew we had friends coming to visit us next weekend, we decided to try and get another dot or two filled in this weekend.  We decided upon Strabourg, France. 

What a gem of a city!  We fell in love with the winding streets, mesmerizing architecture, and flowing canals.  It is the first place I have visited, outside of Paris, that I said I have to go back to.

The thing that made this trip unique was I planned it from start to finish.  I usually plan the day-to-day outings in Paris, seeing as Jeff is working most days.  But for all our other trips, Jeff was the one who rented the car, got the train tickets, and arranged lodging.  Not this time.  I did it all.  I researched and found the cheapest train tickets between here and there.  I also found one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in called Hotel Origami.  (https://www.hotel-origami.com/fr/) So I was just a bit nervous that it would all work out!

We have learned that rarely do you find a French hotel room that fits four people.  And if you do, it is pretty expensive.  So I went in to booking this hotel as two different rooms.  When we went to register, Pascal, behind the desk said, "I assume one is for you and the other for your kids."  Why not?  So the kids ended up having their own room and Jeff and I had ours.  This ended up being a huge blessing because it was 90 degrees the three days we were in Stasbourg.  We all needed some decompressing time in our AIR-CONDITIONED rooms each afternoon.  Did I mention I loved this hotel?  

The highlights of the trip were definitely the Cathedral Notre-Dame.  (Are you keeping track?  I think that makes the fifth cathedral named Notre-Dame that we have seen in a month.)  This one was unique in that it was made of red sandstone.  It also sits in a square that is much smaller than the others we have visited, so it feels way more grand.  This one also has one tower instead of two, because they ran out of money when constructing it in 1439.  The cool thing is that you can walk up the 350 steps to the platform just below the tower for an incredible view.  (This view was actually the highest point in Europe for 200 years.)  It also has the most amazing astronomical clock that has been accurate for over 150 years.  Each day it strikes solar noon at 12:30.  It not only shows the time and date, but also progression of the moon, the accurate alignment of the planets, and rotation of the earth.  It is remarkable!

We were able to take in a few museums and parks while we were there.  The one most interesting was the Musee Alsacien.  We learned about the customs and culture of the rural people of this region.  We even tried to eat each night at restaurants that had served more traditional Alsacien dishes.  One such dish was this really thin, flat pizza - Tart Flambee.

I think the most striking thing for us was the evidence of rich Jewish and Muslim cultures (alongside the obvious Catholic history) that is present and celebrated in Strasbourg.  Yet, at the same time, there were reminders in the cemeteries and in the history of the town that not so long ago, they were not welcome.  This was a town occupied by the Nazis in WWII, during which thousands were sent to concentration camps.  Given our recent WWI tour last weekend and Will's ever present fascination with WWII, it was so jarring to be close to where unimaginable brutality took place.  And constantly at the forefront of my mind, are the contentious issues in America with immigration, mass shootings, and overall inability to have political discourse.  It was all more real than I wanted it to be.  

Jeff and I were surprised to leave with such heavy hearts.  While some of it can probably be attributed to exhaustion, a larger part of it had to do with being so close to history, seeing where things took place, not just reading about them, and trying to impart all of this significance onto our kids...

But leave it to the kids to remind us of the beauty of a place too, and what can come out of hardship and war.  Will shared with Jeff at dinner one night that he learned that the European Parliament meets  in Strasbourg and that he saw the building while on our boat tour.  What divides us, can eventually unit us.  

Below are a few photos of our weekend away!  We hope you enjoy!

Betsy

Arriving in Strasbourg via TGV!  The train went about 200 miles per hour!

Our first views of Strasbourg.

Magical!

Every bridge had the most beautiful flowers.

This guy has worked and saved for years so that we could spend a year abroad!

A statue of a mother holding her two dead sons, alluding to the dual nature of
Strasbourg's history between Germany and France. 

One of the oldest buildings in Strasbourg.

We took a boat tour around the canals and ended up going through two different locks.

My favorite picture!

A biking community!

Cathedral of Notre Dame

This is inside of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame.  I found this to be the most beautiful one yet.

The astronomical clock, inside the cathedral, that strikes solar noon, every day at 12:30.

Germany was so close that we walked across the bridge into Kehl, Germany for a coke!
Here we have one foot in France and one foot in Germany. 

Cheers!  You have to love the EU, with its open boarders!

Traditional Alsacien clothing.   

Up on top of the Vauban Dam.

After climbing 350 steps up the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, we were rewarded with this view!

On the way back down...

Exhausted and ready to go home, but still smiling!