Willkommen nach Strasbourg!

"I really want to visit Strasbourg!" was simply a conversation with my friend Sarah a few weeks ago ... two train tickets, three days, and one day off later, I just got back from an amazing visit to Strasbourg! For those of you who are not familiar with the city, it is pretty much a straight line, directly east of Rennes, extremely close to the border of Germany. I essentially went from one side to the other in six not-so-short hours. I have to say, before I go into detail, that Strasbourg has to be one of my all time favorite cities so far - not only in France, but in general. Between the food, the pedestrian-only side streets, the lights, the Cathedral, and the river, it is absolutely beautiful.

Outside of Cathedral

Astrological Clock

We left Friday morning, extremely early, allowing us to have the afternoon to explore the city. We left our stuff at the hotel, grabbed a map, and headed off. First stop, the Cathedral. My friend Helen who I studied abroad with, studied in Strasbourg the semester before Rennes, and spoke very highly of it. I tried to do as much as I could while we there, but I was so happy we took the advice of exploring the Cathedral because it is seriously incredible. It is absolutely massive with beautiful, ornate stained glass windows and impossibly detailed architecture. Saturday at noon, we went back to the Cathedral to watch a short film about the astronomical clock that is inside. This is the third clock that was constructed in the Cathedral (the first one being from the 14th century, the second in the 16th century, and this one from the 19th century), and it essentially includes symbolism of the passing of time as it relates to life, death, the afterlife, and Jesus. It is really amazing and so hard to believe how well constructed it is!


Second stop, the set of Sherlock Holmes 2? As I was approaching the Cathedral I came across a trailer with a sign on it that read: "Sherlock Holmes 2: Hair and Make-Up." The night before I left, we had watched the first Sherlock Holmes because we heard a rumor they were filming in Strasbourg - rumor was true! We stood around with about 100 other people oo-ing and ah-ing at the set, the cameras, and the extras - most importantly the horses. It was really cool to see how Strasbourg is so quaint there was hardly any extra construction to the site apart from two fake store fronts. I learned later neither Jude Law, nor Robert Downey Jr. were there filming, but it was still very cool.

Sherlock Holmes 2 set: No big deal

Cutest extra on set

Third stop, who's thirsty? Kronenbourg anyone? After taking our time on Saturday morning, and seeing the presentation/activity of the clock in the Cathedral, we decided to take a tour of the Kronenbourg brewery just outside the city center. Again, for those of you who don't know Kronenbourg is a French beer, owned by the Carlsburg company. They make beers like 1664, Kronenbourg, and Grimbergen. The tour consisted of a presentation on how the beer is made, a visit to the old factory, a tour through the caves below the building where it was originally made, and of course, a tasting. I was really impressed by the tour, and it was very cool to see the evolution of how the beer is made and also the advertising. The tour was complete in French, so I think we picked up some new vocabulary too ... hops = houblons.

Original 19th century beer barrels

Old school print ads for Kronenbourg

Fourth stop, la petite France. The center of Strasbourg is basically a big island, appropriately called "Grande Ile". One corner of it is a tiny, quaint area called Petite France where there are small windy streets and adorable buildings with architecture that make you feel like you are in Epcot Germany. With the canal surrounding this area, there are small foot bridges and little souvenir shops that run along the quarter making you feel as though you are very much in a mini-Strasbourg, or a mini-France.

flammkuchen yumm

Last, but certainly not least, the food. Don't think I didn't forget. Strasbourg is very French, and very much like Brittany in that the typical cuisine includes potatoes, cheese, ham, and bread - but there is definitely a twist - like adding to that sauerkraut, pretzels, and flammkuchen. The first night we started by going to a wine bar called Terres à Vin. I read about it in Food and Wine and was anxious to try some riesling from that region. It was tucked away off a side street and couldn't have been more welcoming and delicious. We both tried a white wine, I went with riesling which tasted nothing like the impossibly sweet riesling I have had in the past, and we split some organic foie gras - a worthwhile treat. As for dinner, we went to "Au Renard Prêchant" a very traditional Alsace restaurant I found recommended by Lonely Planet. I tried pork with sauerkraut and Sarah stuck with the theme of the night have foie gras ravioli. And yes it was amazing as it sounds. But, no, it wasn't as heavy and rich as you would think (in a good way). Let's just say it was a good thing we were walking for about three hours a day ...

Strasbourg: amazing city, incredible food,
and the best company!

Saturday we went to lunch and tried flammkuchen which is typical and traditional. It is an extremely flat, cracker-like, pizza with créme fraiche (a bit like sour cream), cheese, onions, and bacon pieces. It. Is. Amazing. We got it with mushrooms and potatoes too and it was absolutely delicious. Saturday evening we wandered around and found another place recommended to me called "Au Brasseur Strasbourg". There was a huge wait, it was really crowded, and they made their own beer, perfect. We waited for a bit, took our time staring at what everyone else was getting while enjoying their white beer, and settled on knopfle (which is basically gnocchi) and jammet braisé (which is the hip from pork with sauerkraut). Great decisions. The food in Strasbourg is definitely not light, and they aren't into as much butter and sugar as they are here in Brittany (hence the lack of dessert observations), but the food is perfect after walking around all day at the beginning of February.

I also got to meet up with Alice, who is very good friends with my friend Zac from Bowdoin. When he heard I was going to Rennes, he gave me her name because she is from Rennes, but is actually studying in Strasbourg this year. She was absolutely adorable and so nice. We had a beer with her and her friends after dinner on Saturday and it felt nice to hang out with some Frenchies our age and speak some French.

Overall it was an incredible weekend. I feel like I really saw the city and took advantage of where I was. I could easily spend more time there, and would love to visit more museums or simply just walk around discovering more neighborhoods and learning a bit more about the history. Public transportation was a great plus as well, completely accessible buses, and a beautiful tram system with about five lines that runs above ground throughout the city. Hopefully I will be able to go back the Alsace region again soon because it is truly one of the best parts of France.

View from the bridge in La Petit France

My adventures are far from over ... Libby, one of my best friends from home, is currently living in Galway, Ireland and is making the trek to Rennes on Wednesday for the rest of the week/weekend. I'm so excited to show her around Rennes and play hostess. Stay tuned for more very soon!

à bientôt!