I returned late last night from my adventure in Strasbourg. We arrived late Friday night, checked into our hostel, and found a restaurant that was open to grab some dinner. Then we wandered around a bit and first encountered the beautiful, massive cathedral. It was incredible at night and we couldn't wait to check it out the next day.
Saturday morning, the two groups (of three girls each, staying in different hostels) met up at the cathedral. We went inside and watched an interesting presentation on its giant astronomical clock and, at 12:30, watched it come to life. I've never seen anything like it in person!
Then we went on a boat cruise in Strasbourg's Ill river and canals which was fun and gave us a good idea of the layout of the city. We also spotted the buildings of the European Union Parliament.
With 6 girls on the trip, when we heard there was a chocolate museum we knew we couldn't pass it up. It was a trek to get there and kind of cheesy, but still fun and tantalizing to the senses! Afterwards we went to dinner where we all split dishes of spaetzle and tartes. Since Strasbourg has been part of both Germany and France throughout history, (currently French), there is a huge German influence in the food, the architecture, and the people. Spaetzle is kind of like a mix between mac & cheese and gnocchi, and tarte is like a thin crusted pizza.
After dinner we walked around the tourist district which is called Le Petite France and boasts some very cute half-timbered houses. Strasbourg doesn't quite boast the nightlife that Paris does, but we managed to find a fun bar to chit chat, dance, and people watch.
Sunday morning, we all met up at the cathedral again with lots of energy to climb to the top tower. Keep in mind, this was the world's tallest building from when it was finished in 1439 until 1874. Add that to a miniscule spiral staircase and you are really in for a treat. Luckily, it was totally worth it, we had the top to ourselves and it was a great view. We could even see Germany's black forest, which the Hansel & Gretel story is based on.
Then we headed to two mediocre museums, the Musee de l’Oeuvre Notre-Dame and Musee des Arts Decoratifs. They were interesting at first but you can only look at so much medieval stonework and 18th century porcelain before things get redundant. By then it was about time to head out so we grabbed some hot chocolate and pretzels, took the tram to the train station and in two hours flat we were back in Paris.
Overall, it was a fun trip and a great start to my travels. Now I have a busy week ahead of me including French class, Paris Civilization class at the Cluny Museum, a visit to the Picasso museum, and a fondue party! I have a few more great Strasbourg pictures that another girl took which I will post when she emails them to me!
