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Dear Readers: we are now safely back home and completely overwhelmed with mundane tasks followed by a big storm and power outage. Please forgive the late blog post/travel reporting.
Even though Grindelwald Switzerland to Strasbourg France takes three train legs: Grindelwald to Interlocken; Interlocken to Basel; Basel to Strasbourg, France; it’s a relatively smooth travel day. I’ve said it before, but it merits repeating: carry-on only luggage makes for easier travels. Sure, trains can accommodate large suitcases but loading and unloading them can be exhausting and will slow you down when trying to make connections.
Walking through the Strasbourg-Ville train station, we marvel at the architecture. They’ve updated the building while maintaining the original architecture; it’s easy to imagine train travel 100 years ago. The entire train station seems streamlined and efficient, and apparently it’s also the second busiest train station in France, after Paris. Once outside, we see the entire train terminal is protected by an unusual, modern cocoon of sorts, a curious juxtaposition of ancient and modern architecture. I’ve added a couple of photos below and link if you want to read more about it.
We are happy to see our hotel within easy walking distance, only 100m from the Strasbourg train station. We are upgraded to a larger room, and thank goodness, because this room is still pretty tiny. As we get closer to Paris, we knew the rooms would get smaller, so this is expected. Our room is on the 3rd floor : more stairs! Of course we use the elevator taking our bags up. I’ve mentioned before how most elevators in Europe are very small, and this hotel’s lift is no exception. What’s interesting about the elevator here is the doors into the lift in the lobby are in front, but the exit doors on the 3rd floor are at the side. Odd, but it makes sense, as you’re not struggling to reverse luggage, instead you’re able to walk easily out. Not that impactful for us with our smaller suitcases, but for those packing larger bags it could make loading them up and down the elevator much easier.
We meander about, find the river and cross into Old Town. We find a self-service laundry and wash a couple loads, hoping this is the last laundry we need to do on this trip. In thirteen weeks, this makes 9 times we’ve needed to do laundry. If that seems like a lot, it probably is. That’s the cost of taking fewer clothes in a smaller bag. No regrets, though!
The receptionist recommends the Drunk Stork Social Club for dinner. It’s a loud, happening place with multiple DJs taking turns at spinning the music. And it’s very loud! Even though we are seated at their quietest table, conversation is a challenge, so we fall back into people watching. In particular, the bartenders are quite talented and put on a great show. Note to self: take into consideration the age of the person making recommendations.
The next day we walk all around Strasbourg and take in the sites, absorb the still festive Christmas atmosphere and window shopping. We find a couple of intriguing art galleries, but sadly neither is open. Dinner is at AEDAEN – which stands for “Art Every Day Art Every Night”. Even though it’s crowded and we have to sit at a very narrow bar, the pizza is a work of art.
In summary, Strasbourg is adorable. I’m sure the other towns in the Alsace Lorraine area, Colmar, Mulhouse, Metz, et al., have equal appeal. We but since we only had two nights.we decided to focus on Strasbourg. If we ever return to the Alsace Region we would want to stay longer and explore more in Strasbourg, Colmar, and the other towns.
Next up, we take a high speed train into Paris for our last leg.
What a charming city – never quite made it there. Reminds me of Chartres though. Your photos are remarkable!! I’m thinking a coffee table book!