France 2023 - Day 4 / Strasbourg

Steps today : 20 849 / 13.74 km

Onwards to the next adventure today, checking out of the hotel and off to the train station for our 3 and a half our journey to Strasbourg.

When planning vacations, I only book (pay for) trains in advance when we are changing cities with suitcases in toe. For day trips I don't bother because I like to be more flexible. What if it rains, what if we change our minds about the order in which we want to see cities, what if we're sick and just can't go?  For day trips, my usual M.O. is simply buying the tickets the day before.

So, in this case, we had the tickets in advance and I also booked first class. It's very affordable, only about another 10 - 20$ per ticket - totally worth it!  If only first class in airplanes was as reasonably priced!  Check out all this leg room....

We arrived at the hotel just before 1PM and thankfully the room was ready. 

Another nice, clean, affordable, essentials-only, plugs everywhere room. 

With a nice view too! I'm cheating a little bit here because I took it a few days later. 

My only complaint about the place is that the entire lobby, restaurant, lounge, bar, REEKED of vanilla scented candles. It was nauseating. Thankfully I didn't take a breakfast-included package because I could not have eaten in that environment.

The first goal for the day was to go gawk at the Cathedral. It's un-be-leivable. This is the third time I've visited this city and it has the same wow-impact on me every time. 

Once satiated with eye candy, it was time for lunch. The last time I was here, I discovered that they have cervelat on the menu everywhere! I had no idea it was so popular in Alsace, I thought it was a Swiss-thing so I was thrilled.... and ready to stuff my face!

Ironically, the restaurant we picked didn't have it but they did have spätzle, AND to drink they had Gewürztraminer Vendanges Tardives, to which I totally became addicted on my last trip, so I was in foodie heaven!

After lunch, we visited the inside of the cathedral

They also have an old astronomical clock and we arrived in time to watch the action at 2:45.  It reminded me of what I heard someone say about another clock: people wait around for ages to watch it move... and then wonder why they bothered. Ha!

We also lit a candle for "every one we know"

After this, just some aimless wandering around the old town.

Time for a drink stop around 3:30 and I was really stubborn about wanting to sit outside and gaze up at the cathedral some more! My mom relented, but sitting outside with coats on is not her thing.

She gave in because it wasn't really windy, and comfortable coats-on conditions, but after this stop she declared she needed some warmer socks (she only had ankle socks) so we went on a mission to find some.

We found success at the Gallerie Lafayette near place Kebler

The socks made all the difference, she felt much better about being outside and the aimless wandering continued

By about 5:15 we made it to the Vauban Dam which is the perfect perch to get pictures of the Covered Bridges

More wandering to enjoy the city...

And then my mother found her mecca!!

We stopped for supper around 6:30, and I finally got my dose of cervelat! AND more Gewürztraminer Vendanges Tardives.

Yummy, but, their version of the ubiquitous cervelat salad had SO MUCH cheese that I was not able to finish. You can't really see it in the picture, but that mountain in the middle is all cheese!

Time to start heading back to the hotel after supper...  but not before admiring the cathedral a bit more! I can't get enough.

Back at the hotel, I was able to convince my mom to stay up for ONE more and have a drink at the hotel bar. She was done for, but agreed since the end was in sight. 

Predictably, it was a Kir Pêches for me, but with sparkling wine this time.

Minus the stench of vanilla, it was a nice lounge