That would be me in front of the 4 tower bridge
On the weekend of October 24, 2008, I took a trip to Strasbourg, France for a few days and got to enjoy the mixture of a German/French environment. Strasbourg is located in the Alsace region by the Rhine, pretty much on the French/German border and has quite a history of its own. The regions is well known for its cuisine (tartes flambées (flammekueche), choucroute, etc.) and its extremely rich desserts. The train tickets were actually really cheap, €58 round trip from Linz. It was an overnight train on a “liegewagen” which basically consisted of a cabin divided up by 6 bunk beds, three on top of each other on both sides. This wasn’t that bad if you were planning on sleeping the whole trip, but was pretty difficult to sit up. I also discovered the one disadvantage of this kind of travel… the smell. Let’s just say that there is always somewhere aboard that smells a little more “cultural” than the rest.
This ia part of "Petite France"
Strasbourg really is a beautiful city, but I was just ecstatic to be in a city where I understood what everybody was saying. The people were friendly for the most parts, but very typically French if you know what I mean. I always seem to get the feeling that when they speak to me, no matter how friendly they appear, it feels like they’re telling you to go fork yourself. They even seem to do it to each other which I find even more amusing. Anyway, I had a few language mishaps, mostly involving the substitution of French words with German, but overall I was pretty happy with speaking French again. The city centre is situated on an island and very quaint. It is exactly the type of thing that you would hope and expect to see of a small “European” city. The hotel was really nice and very close to the city centre.
European parliament with all the representative flags and a commemorating statue
It was pretty interesting to learn about the history of Strasbourg. This place is home to the Gutenberg Press, was a successful city state for a very long time ruled by a government of French and German nobles until the French annexed it in the 17th century. It is also one of two homes to the European Parliament, the other of course being in Brussels. So, apparantly for half the year the government resides in Strasbourg and the other half in Brussels. While you walk through the city you’ll see both French and German architecture. The cathedral is quite impressive. It is the world 4th tallest church in the world and was even the tallest building in the world for about 200 years (142 m). Inside the cathedral is world reknowned astrological clock which was :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strasbourg_astronomical_clock
Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the pictures. I’m currently in a big, old house in Norway enjoying the typical November weather. There isn’t a landline or internet here so I have been trying to keep myself busy with other “projects”. I do have my work cellphone (Thank God) and it doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg to receive calls. It’s a good thing I bought some alcohol at the Duty-free shop when I first got here because it is bloody expensive.
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- That would be me in front of the 4 tower bridge
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- German architecture in Strasbourg
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- This ia part of “Petite France”
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- Touristic street in front of the Cathedral
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- The square by the Cathedral. Why is it that you can always find these “statue” guys everywhere?
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- This street was full of Patesseries, Chocolateries etc.
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- Art?? Maybe symbolising how dental hygene is so important…
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- This one I do know. The lady represents Strasbourg and the two men represent the German and French sons she lost during the war.
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- Another typical street in Strasbourg
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- European parliament with all the representative flags and a commemorating statue
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- A view in the centre of the European parliament building.
Tags: France, German, Liegewagen, Overnight trains, Strasbourg, Travel
