Bonjour from Strasbourg, France

 

After a week of forms, headaches and stress we decided to take the day on Saturday and do some exploring.  We had our choice of tours from the USO on the base . . Brugge, Belgium . . Innsbruck, Austria . . Black Forest. . and Strasbourg, France (capital of the French Alsace region).

 

We started out at 6 a.m. and took a $35 taxi to our bus station just 11 miles away (highway robbery!!)  We then rode on the bus two hours before arriving in Strasbourg.  It was such an adventure!!  The first main stop on our walking adventure was the Cathedral Notre Dame (not to be confused with the Notre Dame in Paris) and it was spectacular!!  This Gothic cathedral took approximately 400 years to build.  The carvings were so intricate and there was the biggest organ I have ever seen hanging what seemed to be hundreds of feet above us lowly beings below.  It was here that I lit a candle honoring a dear family friend that had just passed from this life.

 

 

Continuing on our adventure we ended up in La Petite France, a section of the charming old city lining the Ill River.  Here we witnessed the quaint 16th and 17th century timbered houses already being decorated for the Christmas season.  We were able to amble around the market places and streets on our own for the next three hours . . . we ended up in multiple pastry shops. . .actually buying one eclair from one shop and eating on our way to the next where we purchased another!!  (several times of doing this finally gave us our fill of eclairs. . .until the end of the day were we bought two for the road) :-)  We were also able to try flambee which turned out to be similar to a thin crust pizza. . .only much saltier and with added grease.

 

We then took a river ferry around this city which was quite neat as the bridges had to be moved in order to let us pass and in several sections the water level had to be brought up to allow us access down the river.  By this time, to my everlasting shame, I was exhausted from the walking, eclairs and cold and happened to nod off for most of the time on the warm and cozy ferry.

Strasbourg is a must see in my opinion!  Loved it!  Clayton stated that we must return (with a wide angle lens of course) and that it was actually a city he would love to live it!  I must get some refresher on my French though. . . I was speaking a combination of French, Spanish, English and some German. . . trying to find anything they would understand and often getting confused myself. .