Le Marché de Noël

Christmas has arrived in Strasbourg! Lights, decorations, Christmas trees and window displays announce the arrival of the "most wonderful time of the year". It seems like the whole city has been taken over! A mamouth pine tree has even been transplanted to one of the main squares in town and decorated with lights and ornaments.

The biggest addition to the city though has been all of the Christmas markets! Christmas markets are a German tradition that was passed over to Alsace thanks to the shared heritage. Every open square has been filled with tiny cabins offering food, spiced wine, ornaments, crafts, gifts, etc. At night, the markets are especially packed and it can be difficult to make your way through the crowd! During the very first day of the markets, Nadja, Jessica and I headed out to see what they are about! Our favorite part? Free samples!

Oh Switzerland!

When Jessica (our representative from "La Suisse") offered to show us around two of her favorite cities, we didn't hesitate to take her up on it! Thanks to the generosity of Thomas' host mom, we took the car for the weekend and headed for the hills - literally! Since you have to pay to use Switzerland's national highways, we chose stay on the smaller highways all the way to Luzern. We weren't always sure where we were on the map, but the tiny villages were picture perfect and the views were spectacular! I remember thinking : "This is exaclty what I thought Switzerland might look like!" Driving higher and higher into the hills, we stop a few times for pictures and to play in the snow!



We met Jessica and two of her friends in Luzern. They showed us around some of the sights and where to buy chocolate! The sky was beautiful, but the temperatures were cold. In the evening, after and extensive search for an inexpensive place to eat dinner (which does NOT exist in Switzerland), we grabbed some fast food and retired to our youth hostel with some red wine and snacks! Here are some views of Luzern:








Day 2 started off with a breakfast of muesli, yogurt, fruit, toast and coffee : perfection! The short ride to Zurich passed quickly thanks to some singing and backseat dancing. Before we knew it, we had pulled into downtown Zurich and it was time to explore! The day was filled by more beautiful views, a HUGE lake, lots of sunshine, Chinese for lunch and hot chocolate at the train station. At dusk, we pulled out of Zurich and headed north to Germany to cruise down the autobahn! Voilà Zurich:





According to the sign, I'm "überfoxy".




Thomas couldn't find a parking place so he shared one with the super-tiny SmartCar!

Tout le monde à vélo!

One of my favorite things about Strasbourg is how easy it is to get around by bike! With of the bike paths and bike lanes, it is a no-brainer to opt for two wheels instead of four. My life completely changed the day that Mme. Schaeffer, the wife of our pastor, lent me her bike for the semester. I aboslutely love the the freedom of hopping on my bike and whizzing by pedestrians. I have mastered the art of riding with grocery bags and of switching between the road and the bike paths to avoid waiting at lights. I laugh when I see little old grandmothers in dresses and stockings riding their bikes on busy streets and children in carrier seats holding an umbrella over their pedaling parents. The best is riding with my friends through town and pretending we are a biker gang. :) Here are some images of the glorious bike culture in Strasbourg!





Here is a picture of a "VéloPark", or parking lot for bikes! How sweet is that? I think it is about stinkin' time to start replacing suburbia's acres of asphalt with these:


Here is a photo of my little Danish friend, Nadja showing us just how much fun you can have while riding a bike!

J'aime Paris!

What is better than having great friends? Having great friends that live in Paris! Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit a couple of these great friends in the City of Lights. My first stop was to see the beautiful Georgette, a fellow "mono" (counselor) of Lac du Bois '06, who is spending the year teaching English to 10 yr. olds! Despite not having talked for a while, we picked right back up where we left off. It was so refreshing to have some good conversation...in ENGLISH! I had nearly forgotten what it was like to have a wide selection of descriptive words to explain every little nuance of what I am feeling and experiencing! Here is Georgette and I on the terrasse of her Parisian apartment:


My time with Georgette included late-night catching up, sleeping in (yes!), a delicious lunch in a creperie, a thorough visit of the Pompidou Center (the national museum of moden art), a valiant attempt to attend a French toga party, not finding the toga party and opting for falafel and mint tea instead. Below are some pictures of the Pompidou Center. It is a controversial building in Paris because it goes against all of the "rules" of Parisian architecture. You'll notice in the last picture that all of the structural elements are displayed like works of art! I think it is fabulous and it reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously. Plus, you have an excellent view of the city from the escalator!





Sunday morning, I bid farewell to Georgette and headed into town to visit my dear Charlène on her 19th birthday! En route, I stop by a neighborhood market to take a look: flowers, fruits and vegetables, jewelry, gadgets and gizmos of plenty, (oozits and whatsits galore...sorry, Little Mermaid reference). I especially liked the line to buy cheese that wrapped around the corner of the block! I picked up a pink, potted flower for the Birthday Girl and hopped on the metro.

It was WONDERFUL to see Charlène's smiling face again! I met Charlène during my last stay in France and she came to visit me for 2 weeks in the summer of 2006. Upon arriving at her apartment, we caught up a bit and had a birthday lunch with her brother and dad. Then, the two of us trekked out into the rain to see a fews sights of Paris. We stopped by the Opéra Garnier (the inspiration for the Phantom of the Opera) and to see the Christmas window displays of Les Galeries Lafayettes (like Macy's).



The displays are a highlight of the season for French children, but the last photo might be geared more for the French "papas". Apparently, it is sexy to wear dead forest animals on your head. I'll take note...


No visit to Paris is complete without a good ol' fashioned protest and this weekend was no exception. In the true French spirit, a large number of people marched in the rain to protest the high rent in city. Charlène and I took the apathetic route and decided just to have a hot chocolate with whipped cream in a nearby café. :) We said our goodbyes until Christmas (which I'll be celebrating with her family) and I jumped on the metro back to the train station. On my way, I snapped the following picture of the town hall. St. Louis' former town hall (I think it is the town hall at least) was designed after this building!

How would YOU pronounce this?

Thumbs up!

As a poor student here in Strasbourg, I try to save money any way I can which obviously includes my grocery shopping. Typically opting for the cheapest brand available, the old, French "mamies" might not approve of my cuisine. However, I have no doubt about the exceptional quality of these value products thanks to the reassuring label. Not wasting time with alluring adjectives or even a name for the brand, it simply cuts to the chase : a big thumbs up! Mmmm... bon appétit!

Vacation: Hamburg style

This past week, we enjoyed a week off from classes for our fall break! In the weeks prior, I had listened to other students make extensive travels plans around Europe. Despite having considered a visit to Belgium, the idea living out of a suitcase sounded simply exhausting. (Am I an old woman or what?) Instead, I arranged a stay with the Fischers in Hamburg, Germnay for 5 days! Inka, the youngest Fischer, spent a year with my parents in 2005/2006. Her parents visited us at the end of her stay and assured me that if I were ever in Europe again, I would be welcome at their place. I was looking forwad to a change of pace, spending some time catching up with Inka, and seeing some folks who know a little bit about my life back home!

After a 6.5 hour train and enduring the shock of switching into an unknown language, the Fischers gave me a warm welcome to their beautiful home in small town neighboring Hamburg. I was thrilled to be in a family again, to have a dog again and to have internet again! Hurrah! The next few days were filled by visiting Hamburg (a panoramic view from a famous church steeple, the fishmarket, lunch on the water, windowshopping) and Berlin (the big sights and a delicous lunch), cruising around the village and relaxing at the house. Below are some sights of Hamburg and Berlin.








After a lazy Friday morning and tea and cake with Inka's parents by the fireside, we drove into Hamburg to hear an orchestra and piano concert in a stunning, white and gold concert hall. The pianist was marvelous and only 19 years old! Inka's older brother, Arne, came in town from his university to see the concert and spend a weekend at home. We all stayed up late talking around a bottle of wine and watching silly British comedians on YouTube. :)

Saturday included a visit to historic Lübeck. I loved all of the impressive, brick buildings, the endless churches and the cobblestone streets. We visited the town hall, a craft market in a former hospital, had tea and cake at a well-known marzipan shop, attended a vespers service and ate a delicious fish dinner in a several-century-old restaurant. This lovely day finished off with another bottle of wine, accompanied by good conversation and some Jack Johnson - just the way I like it. Below you see Lübeck's town hall as well as Arne and I.



Sunday morning was my last taste of a German breakfast. After lingering around the table for a while, Inka and I took advantage of the sunny (finally!) weather by going for a drive around the picture-perfect villages in the area. We also stopped by the harbor where they welcome large ships by broadcasting their national anthem for everyone to hear! Below is the harbor, Inka posing as a hot-rod babe after an excellent demonstration of parallel parking, me eating a cookie called "an American", fall colors, and a "no-pooping-in-the-sandbox" sign!






After a delicous Sunday lunch, the Fischers rushed Arne and me to the station. We arrived just in time to run (literally) to the train and be seated before pulling away from the platform! I am so thankful to have such kind and welcoming friends and I look forward to the next time we can see each other again. What a wonderful way to spend my vacation!