France: Part 2 (Strasbourg)

On the next day of our trip, we took a train to Strasbourg in Alsace, which is close to the German border. In fact at several points in its history, Alsace has been part of Germany, and the dual influence shows.

That's TC headed down one of the many side streets, which all seem to be shared equally between pedestrians and vehicles of every type. Just a little further down this one, we came across...

...an extremely yummy-looking window display! I had to stop and take a picture, even though we were there before the place opened. I could write for days about the pastries and desserts that we had in France - chocolate mousse, apple honey and almond crepes, vanilla gelato with fresh raspberries, meringues. I need to stop. I'm making myself hungry.

Strasbourg, like almost every other French city or town, has a beautiful cathedral. They're really quite something - everything is more than functional, it's also aesthetically pleasing. We decided it would be a good idea to climb to the observation platform at the top, which meant a good 25 minute climb up a narrow set of circular stairs.

A shot from a window part of the way up gave a really nice view of the buttresses (I think that's what they're called - any architects out there?).

And then the view of the city from the top was definitely worth the climb! It was a clear, sunny day, so we could see quite a ways. Do you see all the windows in the roofs? I learned while there that the reason so many older French buildings are designed that way is that houses were taxed based on the number of rooms, but any that were above the roof line weren't included.

Ever wonder what graffiti looked like before spray paint?

Yup. Pre-spray paint graffiti. "Baron de Seckendoree wuz here 1770" :)

After we made it back to the bottom of the cathedral, we decided that for the sake of our now rather jello-like legs it would be a good time to take a boat cruise through the city. Do you see the German influence in the buildings pictured above? It was a wonderful way to get an overview of Strasbourg and it's history, and really, what better way to spend the rest of the morning than cruising down a river in the sun? All the Strasbourg-ians had come out to eat their lunches along the river, and waved when we came by, which I though was very friendly.

This is where we had our lunch. Alsace is known for its cuisine, so we wanted to try some traditional Alsatian dishes. All of them - heavy cream doused, deep fried, cheese laden meat and refined flour. And incredibly tasty. My arteries were glad we were only there for a day.

After lunch we visited the Alsatian museum. The inner courtyard was beautiful! As for the museum itself, it really wasn't all that remarkable. Lots of ovens, and lots of wardrobes - at least one per room, and often more.

We spent the rest of the afternoon just walking around, looking at all the sights and the people. I got a kick out of the church pictured above. Do you see anything that looks a little off? Apparently, the guy who built this church back in the day messed up a bit when he got to the top. According to the guide, the congregation beat the tar out of him. In good Christian love, no doubt...

All in all, it was a fun day. We headed back to Nancy around 6:00, arriving at 8:30, which is dinner time in France. KP and I were pooped, so we stayed home and sent the boys out to pick up some pizza. Can I just say that pizza makers in Nancy must be on crack? The boys brought home 4 different kinds, and each one was an experience. One had doritos on it. Who puts doritos on a pizza?

Speaking of pizza, I think I'll order one for dinner tonight. Minus the doritos.