Last Day in Strasbourg

Dear Mother,

Our three days (2.5 actually) have gone by quickly.  The weather held, temperatures were so warm that I only needed to wear a camera vest and camera backpack to be comfortable. 

Here are a few photos.  The first shows where we stopped for lunch yesterday after visiting the Tomi Ungerer museum.  Photos were not allowed.  He is a brilliant cartoonist from Alsace who is able, with a few strokes, to poke fun at or uncover human foibles, whether in high society, government, or ordinary life.  We had a great platter that was loaded with fresh veggies and Alsatian cold cuts.

We then went our separate ways for the afternoon, as usual.  I headed to an interesting Protestant Church, but in spite of signs to the contrary, it was closed.  The granite stones in from the of the church had patterns which incorporated crosses.

These students were on break between lycée classes.  What a treat, to be able to sit, chat, possibly pretend to review notes--all by the River Ill.

Janice is interested in French lace curtains, and this was a nice one.

The bow tie made the photo for me.  It was a tiny shop with a single barber chair--busy.

Two school boys were laughing as their bike wove all over the place while the first lad struggled to go uphill.

I still remember how heavy our children's backpacks were just taking homework home from school every day in Paris some 25 years ago.

I walked a bit along the lower level of one of the river's branches.  It was very peaceful.

Two days ago, we ate in this restaurant (mostly covered by the white truck).  It was clearly a place business people gathered for lunch.  We were the last to leave, since there was no pressing work calling us.

Another in my sandwich-sign series (sable = sand).

Last night's sky suddenly brightened just a bit and I realized how beautiful the evening would look to a camera.  This is in the old part of the city now known as La Petite France (Little France).  Formerly housing water-powered mills, tanneries and the like, the area was recently renovated and is now fascinating everywhere you look.

Two nights ago, we ate outside under this tree.  The building along the river is La Corde à Blanche (Laundry Line, in other words, a former laundry).  It was not cheap, but being outside on one of the final warm nights of the year was special.

I like the classy street lights in the old part of Strasbourg.  They emit a white light rather than the ubiquitous orange seen in too many villages and cities, and they are maintained--no broken glass or burnt bulbs.

It's time for breakfast.  Then we pack our two backpacks and take the 10:45 a.m. train back to Paris, where we are to have one last hot day.  Janice will be at her library chair for the rest of the day, wondering how in the world she can ever get through all those books.

With love from us both,

Evan

Strasbourg Street Photography, Day One

Dear Mother,

We took the train from Gare de l'Est directly to Strasbourg.  The TGV (train of great speed) continues to fascinate me.  It is relatively clean, on time, fast, smooth and everybody is polite.  We were in second class, as usual, with ample room for our two backpacks.  We read and then I started listening to another audiobook, and before we knew it, 2.5 hours had passed and we were in Strasbourg.  We are staying in the Ibis Hotel very near the train station.  It is one occasionally used by Neal and Janie, handy, quiet and a German-like breakfast (which means we will have a very light lunch).  We had a lunch at the hotel (it was after 2:00 p.m.), I rested and then at about 3:30 we went on a 4-hour walk to see and photograph things.  Initially, the sun was much too bright, but by 7:00 the light was changing.  We finished dinner at about 10 p.m. and wandered slowly through the lit streets, finally taking the tram back to the train station and our hotel.

Janice enjoyed seeing the word "sandwicherie".

She wanted her friends to photograph her artistic creation (catchup on white plate) and later they all gave me a big smile when I also took a photo.  We all laughed because as she held the plate in a vertical position, the eyes began to slip down the plate, creating tears.

This is one of the lovely trams that crisscross the city.  They are quiet and seem to be rather new. We bought enough tickets for our entire stay, and given my foot, the ride can feel pretty good.

We couldn't resist the used book market.  We wanted to buy books, but they are heavy to lug around and I have an impressive stack of unread French books as it is (plus there is a very large used book market awaiting me in Paris).

We enjoy the half-timbered houses and hope to see more, particularly in the 'old village' section along one of the numerous rivers.  I was fascinated by the dark thin house (middle of this photo) which is two windows wide. Add a staircase and there isn't much room.

I hate Vancouver's flat roofs because they inevitably leak.  These roofs promise to work and last.

There are students and adults riding bikes everywhere, not quite like Holland, but it was nice to see.

By 7:00 p.m., it was too late to enter the cathedral, but I enjoyed seeing some of the outside as dusk was falling.

The northern entrance had an unusual number of stone crosses calling attention to the doorway.

We ate in this dark half-timbered restaurant.  Food was fine and my fish was special, but the service . . . well, they were seriously understaffed and trying to teach two young people the intricacies of serving.  My ice cream stood, unattended, for nearly 10 minutes.  A group of Americans (two women were simply loud when talking and very very loud when laughing) stood out by their brash manners and total inability to understand anything in French, even on the menu.  They had never heard of fennel (an anise tasting veggie) and their translator/guide struggled to describe it to them.  To top it off, several in the group drank several cokes with their Alsatian food! 

All for now.  As I write (Wednesday morning after breakfast), I see the morning fog is slowly lifting.  The day promises to be sunny and in the mid-to-upper 70s.  Janice is going to visit an Alsatian museum and I will wander aimlessly, as usual.

With love from us both,

Evan