Flight Diary Stats

My Flightdiary.net profile

6 April 2017

France & Germany 2017 – Day 3 / Strasbourg

Steps today: 20 042 / 13¼ km. Full disclosure, I walked the last 500 steps in the hotel room to get the number over 20k. It’s not a bad “score” when you consider we had a 3½ train ride from Lyon to Strasbourg this morning!

The ride was nice, we slept almost the entire way, but it started with a snafu – the posted signs meant to inform travellers where they should stand on the platform so that they can get on the correct train car were all backwards and so we ended up at the completely wrong end of the train in first class. We just played innocent and stayed put – there were LOTS of empty seats anyway. When the controller came through to validate the tickets, even he didn’t mind because he knew about the signage mishap in Lyon, but then he made some other guys move out and so we figured we’d to be good and go find our proper assigned seats.

Our room at the hotel wasn’t ready when we arrived, so we just left them our bags and headed out to explore Strasbourg.

20170406_120248

We’ve previously visited Strasbourg for an afternoon in April 2011 but it was part of the Rhine River Cruise and therefore we were not on our own and weren’t able to explore at our own pace and follow our own interests. As a result, we barely remembered a thing and so you could say that this is not a repeat visit. It certainty doesn’t feel like one.

The weather was COLD! SO windy and no sun, I was starting to get concerned that Frank would catch a cold but thankfully it warmed up in the afternoon and the sun came out so we’re feeling fine.

We started our aimless wander at the Cathedral, MAN OH MAN is it ever impressive! So huge, it’s impossible to get it all in one frame. Every time we left and came back, I was blown away all over again by it’s size and almost lacy-delicate façade…. especially later in the day when the sun was shining right on it.

IMG_1390

IMG_1395

IMG_1393

After gawking at the cathedral, we had lunch nearby and then walked around in an attempt to stay warm. We eventually ducked into a bar for a shot of something strong to warm our insides! It was around 2:30 by then so since the hotel was so close, we went back to our room to unpack and get out some warmer clothes.

Nice surprise: we got a free room upgrade! Don’t know why, don’t really care! Just happy.

IMG_1365

IMG_1366

IMG_1368

That stop took us about a half hour, and we left energized and bundled up… but by then the wind had died down and the sun came out so we were now overdressed. Figures! Still, thanks to our layers, we were able to sit outside and enjoy some drinks at a café near the water.

Here are some miscellaneous highlights of our afternoon:

IMG_1354

20170406_141905

20170406_141821

IMG_1369

20170406_164037

(My glass of wine looks like a flower! So pretty)

20170406_165410

Now I really feel like I’ve visited Strasbourg “properly” as opposed to that blip 6 years ago. I still want to go to the Orangerie Park and see the storks, we only got a fleeting glimpse from the bus last time, then I will be able to say my visit is complete. We start day-tripping as of tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll be able to squeeze it in.

Time for bed now, it’s after 9PM and that’s passed my bed time. We plan to go to Nancy tomorrow; I’m looking forward to a brand new destination and discover a city I’ve never seen before!

Good night!

No comments:

Post a Comment