Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg, France (Last Stop on our Road Trip)


We left Paris early and got in my SUV and headed towards Strasbourg for one night in another airbnb apartment (a few minutes outside the city, great stay).  Since we were headed from Paris to Germany we wanted to make one more stop on the border of France and Germany to get one last look in France and to break up the driving.  I'm glad I chose to see what Strasbourg had to offer because besides my flea trip to Tongeren, Belgium, Strasbourg was my favorite destination on our road trip.  It's beautiful.




It's not surprising that you see so many German style buildings in Strasbourg.  Not only because it borders Germany but because it had also been considered part of Germany.  It is a city with a complicated history between Germany and France but ultimately serves as an area where both the French and Germans call home and we heard people speaking German just as much if not more than French.




I really liked Strasbourg because it looks like a perpetual Christmas town, very much like the German "Christmas Town" of Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber, which I had the pleasure of visiting during Christmas last year.  You can check out the town and see the similarities here.  (It is the last town in the post).  I would love to come back to Strasbourg during Christmas.

We decided to tackle the beauty of Strasbourg by simply walking through the city of Le Petite France.  It was very comical because there were tourists EVERYWHERE taking pictures.  Everywhere we walked there were cameras and people flashing away.  I obviously was doing the same thing, but you'd think Michael Jackson had risen from the dead with the vigor in which these people were flashing away.  It's not hard to see why.  This is a storybook town.


Fun Fact: I thought this town was called Le Petite France because it looked like a small France.  It is called Le Petite France because of the hospice for people with Syphilis that was built there in the fifteenth century.  Syphilis was otherwise known as the "French Disease."  Interesting.







Strasbourg is situated on the Rhine and a big attraction is taking a boat cruise down the river.




As we walked closer to the Strasbourg Cathedral (of our Lady), there were many cute little tourist shops.  This shop featured some local pottery from the Alsace region.  So pretty!  And so different from the look of Polish pottery.




Carousel ride anyone?



Here it is, the cathedral.  It was hard to get a good shot because it was right in the middle of the town.  And you can see all the touristy shops near the cathedral.  The cathedral was built in the middle ages as you can see with the gothic/romanesque architecture.






Inside the church and all it's glory!  Speaking of touristy, this cathedral even had a souvenir shop inside of it (gasp!) I mean come on...







Below is the astronomical clock inside the church.  You can see more astronomical clocks at my posts on Prague and Venice.  Though the clock no longer works and hasn't for some time, it is still pleasing to the eye and a big draw to visitors.




Outside of the cathedral, the cobblestone streets are lined with cafes, so we sat down at an Italian restaurant for dinner.  Don't ask why we chose Italian instead of French.  Decisions are hasty when made in hunger.



I enjoyed another goat cheese and honey salad with tomato bisque and some Alsace region wine.  Very good!



So I thought Strasbourg was only this quaint little town but as we walked around more, we realized it was huge and it went way beyond all the timber housing.  It had a very metro feel to it too with modern shops and restaurants.  Strasbourg just kept on surprising me.

Snapped a shot of these lovelies.  The store was closed.




Before we left, we decided to see if we could grab a drink before we headed back to our home-stay for the night.  We saw a Tapas bar and sat down for a  drink.  I ordered a 7 euro margarita.  Why they gave it to me in a martini glass, I will never know, but it literally looked and tasted like they dunked the glass straight in the toilet and sprinkled some table salt into it.  Why I thought there would be some semblance of a decent Mexican drink in Europe, I don't know and I still haven't found a good Mexican restaurant anywhere in Europe.  I usually don't complain about my food or drinks, because I don't want people to F*** with my stuff but this was the worse margarita I've ever had so I told the waiter I didn't like it and gave it back and he still charged me anyways... go figure.


  But besides the horrendous margarita, Strasbourg was absolutely fantastic.  It was my favorite stop on the trip and hopefully you guys can get a feel for Strasbourg yourself.  We only spent a day there and it was enough but if you can spend two days there then don't hesitate because there is plenty to do.  I imagine going during Christmas time would be stunning.



This brings my family and I to the end of our fabulous extreme Euro road trip (tear).  But I had a great time at all of these places and hope you guys enjoyed reading along.





Favorite Thing About Strasbourg:
Taking pictures of the picturesque town




Out of all of the places we went on our road trip, Arlon/Bastogne, Luxembourg, Tongeren, Trier, Paris, and Strasbourg, what was your favorite?








Linking up at:

No Minimalist Here
Dagmar's Home
Ivy and Elephants
Budget Traveler's Sandbox
Mom on Time Out
Sunday View
From My Front Porch To Yours
Pret-A-Vivre
Common Ground
Rooted in Thyme
The Brambleberry Cottage
The Tablescaper
The Dedicated House (Anything Blue Friday)
Twigg Studios
Dwellings
Travel Photo Discovery'
The Dedicated House (Make it Pretty Monday)
A Stroll Thru Life
Kathe With An E
Knick of Time
Savvy Southern Style
God's Growing Garden
Lost in Travels
A Dose Of Paige


34 comments :

  1. Strasbourg is gorgeous. Will definitely have to see it next time!!

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  2. Your pictures bring such good memory Brittany, thank you for sharing them.

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  3. Looks wonderful! I will have to be sure to check out the pretty pottery! Thanks for the tour!

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  4. Well the day sounded pretty amazing until the tapas and magaritas, as they usually say, 'when in Rome', although I bet German might be a good alternative here?

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    1. lol that damn margarita. I can't believe he charged me for it when I didn't even drink it.

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  5. Loved the flowers on the bridge and I laughed at your margarita story until I had to run to the bathroom.

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    1. Thanks Ruth. O no, I hope you made it to the bathroom haha

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  6. So fun to see your photos and share your vacation adventures.

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  7. Oh I love the tour and seeing all of these fascinating places. I havn't been to Strausbourg, but it is gorgeous. Thanks for letting me tag along. Thanks also for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

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  8. A gorgeous vacation...thanks for letting take a peek and share your trip! :)

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  9. Gosh I loved all your pictures, they are so so beautiful, what a wonderful place to go to see and I loved the pottery and the wonderful lunch, wow that looked so good...and of course the church was so pretty...so much to see...

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  10. WOW! Amazing photos! I've never been to Europe but really WANT to so I think I've found a new favorite blog! (Found you through Kathe with an E) - I'm off to look at more of your posts!

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    1. Sarah, Thanks for the kind words. I love Europe and traveling as well. You should definitely do it if you get a chance!

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  11. how beautiful! my high school French teacher was Mme Spittler and she was from Strasbourg - as French as can be but with that German name!

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  12. Wow what a fantastic trip! I'm just popping over from the chain linky climb

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  13. Thank you for linking up with the expat diaries today! Your photos are gorgeous and I'm a little obsessed with all of the architecture. I'd love to live in one of those cute buildings... and German Christmas shops are my favorite. :)

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  14. What a beautiful blog and post! I'm glad I found you through the link up! I look forward to more of your Europe posts! :)

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  15. Such beautiful architecture and the cathedral is gorgeous! I love the pottery, did you purchase any? So pretty! I couldn't choose a favorite place, but will say that I soooo appreciate your taking us along with you! Thank so much for sharing at Amaze Me Monday, always such a pleasure having you!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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    1. No I didn't end up purchasing any pottery. But I could definitely use a casserole dish. Thanks for reading!

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  16. Wow look at all those shops. I have NEVER been out of the USA so this is just amazing. I hope to one day go over seas, one day.

    Thanks for linking up with Weekend Reads.

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    1. Well you have to get overseas then. Thanks for hosting Cody!

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  17. I love Strasbourg! I have not been back since I was younger, but remember it fondly. I am just in love with your photographs of all the build faces and especially of the church. How lovely. I just love all the details. Thank you for linking up with us for Travel Tuesday! x

    Bonnie Rose | A Compass Rose

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    1. I really love Strasbourg too and to think, it was a random place that I pick on our trip for the way back! I'd definitely return for a Christmas Market!

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  18. How gorgeous! I love that Alsace style pottery. I haven't seen anything like it (but would now like some for my kitchen). Strasbourg really does look like a perfect Christmas town. I would love to visit!

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  19. The cathedral looks amazing! Must have been quite a sight. And the carousel looks like so much fuuun!
    Very nice blog post, thanks for sharing!

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  20. Truly looks like a fairytale town! and that astronomical clock looks so cool! This town has definitely made it on my list of places to visit :)

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    1. Glad I could inspire you to visit, can't wait to return!

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  21. With the blue sky... You couldn't dream better conditions :)

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I love to hear from readers! Questions and comments welcome. I try to respond to everyone (I respond back to your comments on the comments page so check back for a response). Thanks for reading!

-Brittany Ruth