“What if it’s the there and not the here that I long for? The wander and not the wait, the magic in the lost feet stumbling down the faraway street and the way the moon never hangs quite the same.” – Tyler Knott Gregson, Chasers of the Light: Poems from the Typewriter Series
Wanderlust: The insatiable urge to travel and see new places! You might think that Wanderlust would be the last thing that I’d be feeling right about now. I had traveled 4,000 miles to get to Germany and I was staying in a new place, so why I haven’t been able to shake that urge to travel further and see new things? Since I arrived in Germany I’ve visited many of the villages in my part of the Black Forest, and their beauty and charm will be a memory that I will treasure forever! But as time passed and my summer sojourn in Germany began drawing to a close, I started wondering about what lies just beyond the horizon. Where could I visit before my journey takes me home? I thought about traveling up to Heidelberg, or Berlin, or west to Munich, or maybe south to Zürich or Liechtenstein. It’s so hard to pick….I want to see them all!
It seems like just yesterday that I first thought about visiting Strasbourg, and that’s probably because it was just YESTERDAY that I first thought about visiting Strasbourg! I looked at a map and there it was: Just 100 kilometers to my west, sitting on the Rhine River in France, right on the border with Germany. I had to go!
Just 12 hours later, I’m up early, and making my way to the train station. It takes a lot to get me up early, but in this case….I could hardly sleep! Strasbourg was calling!
Instead of waiting almost an hour at Eyach Station, I hopped on the first train out. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but don’t forget I hadn’t slept – I hadn’t even had my coffee yet! As it turns out, my hasty decision meant that I would now have a two hour wait in Horb, rather than one. I hate waiting! So I had a coffee, connected to WiFi, and hatched a new plan: I picked what I thought was the quickest route to Strasbourg with the least connections, but it would take me northeast to Stuttgart instead of due west to Strasbourg. Hmmm…..I wasn’t sure I made the right call on this one….
The D train. The D stands for “Don’t know if this is the right train”
The Universe will sometimes send me messages hidden in graffiti. Not sure what the Universe means by this one…
This is the Gare de Strasbourg-Ville. It’s the main railway station in Strasbourg. It has a cool facade! I feel like I’m in the middle of a gigantic breaking wave….
Apparently nobody takes the stairs. Since I don’t want to stand out any more than I already do…..
Okay, I’m at the train station in Strasbourg. Now I need to take a tram to my Hotel. I know roughly where I am, and I know where I want to go, now I just have to figure out how I get there. This is the part where I look at a map, nod knowingly for several minutes, then cry and beg passerby to help me. “JE SUIS PERDU! AIDEZ MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”
STRASBOURG! I MADE IT BAY-BEE! I’M IN FRANCE! The last time I was in France was so long ago that the Nazi’s were still here – but by then they were disguised as maitre d’s….
Just look at the beautiful architecture of the half-timbered homes and buildings along The Rhine! Gorgeous!
Here, just as in Germany, many beautiful homes and buildings are adorned with beautiful flowers!
The weather has been unsettled all day today, alternating between rain, sunny blue skies, and a thick underbelly of dark gray clouds.
Look at how beautiful!
I love the wide streets!
This morning, the man in this picture on the left woke up and actually thought to himself “I think I’ll wear the red pants today”. It’s either that, or he lost a bet…..
And there it is….the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg – the sixth tallest Church in the entire world! Today I saw it in the clouds, and I saw it in the bright blue sky! Maybe tomorrow I’ll see it from the inside….
This is the Place Kleber, and it’s the central square of Strasbourg. It’s beautiful! Apparently it was named after a General from the French Revolutionary Wars named Jean-Baptiste Kléber, and he’s buried under his statue on the left side of this picture.
I love the wide open piazzas, or market squares! I’m not sure what they call them here – is it Place de la Ville? I don’t know, I just know that I like the Place Kleber! They don’t really have these anywhere back home. Where I’m from every flat open space in a City is turned into a parking lot….
I asked the Hotelier where I could go to have dinner. He recommended this place – the L’Épicerie Café restaurant on the Rue du Vieux Seigle. He said this is where the locals go; it’s affordable and the food is delicious. He was right! Outside it was so packed that I couldn’t find a seat. I didn’t want to wait so I came inside. I was starving!
It’s the kind of place where you can picture Vincent Van Gogh dipping bread into the coffee that he bought with Theo’s allowance, then going out to paint in the nearby fields…
Oh Baby!!! Let’s savor this moment before I savor the moment….
This food was delicious but my eyes were wayyyyyyy bigger than my stomach! Too bad there wasn’t a fridge in my room for leftovers!
It was Happy Hour at L’Épicerie so I stayed for awhile. I left Happy. It was still early – I don’t even think it was dark yet – but I was exhausted! So I made my way back to my Hotel. It’s a good night to turn in early. Tomorrow is going to be a big day!
I’ll keep you posted!
Bonnie