Strasbourg, France
When we got off the train in Strasbourg, Rob was waiting for
us on the platform. We hadn’t seen Rob
in over three months, so, of course, it was great to see him.
After giving Rob big hugs, he lead us to the tram station so
we could get to our hotel. Strasbourg has a fantastic tram system with five
routes that service downtown Strasbourg and the outlying areas, where you could find
buses to other locations. The tram system was fantastic. The trams ran
frequently, and electronic signs posted the time until the next tram. The trams
were also clean, efficient, and well utilized.
We got a bit lost on our way to the Hotel Gutenberg, but
soon found it. We were greeted by a kind woman who spoke perfect English. She
handed us the key to room 109 on the first floor (which would be the second
floor to us Americans). There was a tiny elevator just big enough for me and
our suitcases, so I rode up with the bags while Linda and Rob walked up the stairs.
There was a small flight of stairs that lead up to the doorway to our room and
room 110.
I had been warned by everyone that hotel rooms in Europe are
tiny, so I was prepared for the compact size of our room (which was smaller
than a room at a Disney value resort to give my Disney friends an idea of the
size). The room was spotless, and surprisingly modern in this old town. There
were two twin beds pushed together, and two chairs, one of which had been
opened into a small twin sized bed.
There was a small desk and closet against one wall.
The bathroom was huge and ran the full length of the room.
There was a deep tub and heated towel
racks ( not that they seemed to actually work). There were lots of toiletries
in the bathroom.
Our room overlooked a quiet street that saw very little
vehicular traffic. We were able to open our windows to get some air into the
room, which was a blessing since the room wasn’t very cool. We were impressed
by how soundproof the room was when the windows were closed--we could barely
hear a sound from outside when the windows were closed, though we could clearly
hear the band and the clock tower at the cathedral a few blocks away when we
had the window opened.
After freshening up in the room, we headed out to find
something to eat to hold us over until dinner later that evening. We wound up
going to a place called Flam’s, where we shared a Greek salad and a ham and
onion flatbread. The food was very tasty, and just enough to hold us over until
dinner later that evening.
After lunch, we walked around downtown Strasbourg for a bit.
Strasbourg is absolutely beautiful. It’s right on the German border, and you
can definitely feel the German influence in the architecture. The town has gone
back and forth between French rule in German rule (it was actually ruled by
Hitler at one point). It is the capital of the Alsace area of France, and home
to the European Parliament. It is very quaint, clean, and safe.
This is the European Parliment building
Rob had to head back to his host family’s house to get the
things he needed for the weekend, so Linda and I decided to go with him so we
could see where he was living. We took a tram, and a bus to get there, followed
by a ten minute walk to the small apartment complex where he was living with a
kind woman named Beatrice, who had several grown children and grandchildren.
Beatrice invited us in for tea, and it was really nice to
meet her. She spoke a bit of English, so we were able to talk to her a bit
about our plans for our trip to France. She seemed really nice, and it was
great to see the apartment where Rob was living.
After saying goodbye to Beatrice, we walked back to the bus
stop, and headed back to Downtown Strasbourg. We wandered around a bit more,
and headed to an Italian restaurant near the Strasbourg Cathedral for an early
dinner. I got spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, which was excellent. The sauce
was meaty and had a lot of flavor. Linda got lasagna, which she enjoyed. Rob
got a seafood dish that he really enjoyed.
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. Rob wanted to go
practice his saxophone, so he headed out to the Strasbourg Conservatory. It was
now 8:00 Strasbourg time, and we had been up for nearly 36 hours, so Linda and
I went to bed as soon as we got back to the hotel. We need to rest up because
there was a lot to see the next day.
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