Euro Trip--Day 3: Strasbourg and a Train Ride to Paris

Chocolate Brioche

Strasbourg is a beautiful city and a must see stop on our list of recommendations. This morning after a quick breakfast of granola and shelf stable milk (a beautiful travelling item, I headed out to put money in our parking meter and then we headed out to find the Tourism office. For any of you who don't already know, there is a tourism office in every city pretty much, and they have a wealth of information. You should always stop there and at least get a map and guide book in English so you can read about what your seeing and generally find a million more things you didn't even know you wanted to see and now desperately need to see :).  On our way we found second breakfast...warm french pastries. Anna's favorite patisserie was here and she is at this moment lamenting that she did not take more pictures of these beautiful shops and their bounteous baked goods.

Kamerzell House

On the main square next to the church is a famous house, the Kamerzell House. It dates back to the 15th and 16th century and is accepted to be the most beautiful home in Strasbourg. It was owned by several folks, one of whom was a grocer and another who was a cheese merchant.

I know we mentioned the cathedral last time but it is so impressive I'm mentioning it again and with more pictures. The cathedral dominates the city and the skyline. Its first stone was set in 1277 and the spire, which was the highest in all Christendom until the 19th century, was finished in 1439. The exterior is incredibly detailed, with sculptures depicting stories and saints and biblical figures all around the doors and front façade. There is lace work in stone up covering the entire exterior that is not already covered in a statue or relief.

  

The interior is equally impressive with an incredible organ attached to the wall 20 ft above our heads the vaulted ceilings, and some huge stained glass. One wall was covered in four gigantic stained glass windows all depicting the entire life of Christ, story by story. I was about to take a photo of a monstrous sculpture of Christ praying on the Mt of Olives but they kicked us it of that area in preparation for a service (I think it was for a service at least, I couldn't quite grasp the French). On the opposite side of this statue was an astronomical clock. The clock has a bunch of moving pieces: every day at 12:30 the 12 apostles "march" below Christ and several other pieces move. Unfortunately, we weren't there at the best time to see the procession but I believe it's quite a spectacle. A solid line had formed over an hour before the clock shenanigans were actually supposed to begin. Our last adventure with the cathedral was the observation deck at the foot of the giant spire. We had to walk up something like 60 meters, all stairs no elevators. Anna was excited to pay the 5 euros to get some exercise, and of course to soak in more of this incredible cathedral! This made it onto her top three sites of the whole vacation I think. The view from the observation deck was very nice. It was neat to see across all the homes/apartments/shops.

Of course, I have to include a photo of this raspberry macaron. It was incredible! Easily one if the most delicious things I have ever eaten. Luckily Anna shared some with me. I'm pretty sure she saw this in the window and ran inside the shop immediately shouting, "Framboise macaron s'il vous plaît!", and she doesn't even speak french!

After the church we decided to take a boat tour around the island on which the main city of Strasbourg is situated. We opted for a covered boat so 1) Anna wouldn't try and jump out and swim along side, 2) so Avery and Grayson wouldn't fall out trying to look at and/or touch the water 3) because they promised air conditioning...I felt air but it was not necessarily cool seeing that we were basically in a greenhouse. It was a nice way to sit down, relax, and still see some sights though. The audio guide told mentioned that Strasbourg was influenced (taken over?) by many different cultures: French, German, Swiss, French, The Huns, German, French, German, French, German, French (you get the idea). Apparently Strasbourg is home to the European Council and the European Parliament I'm not sure what those are but I am unsure whether they're affiliated with the EU.

After the boat tour, we made our way over to Gutenberg Square to see a statue of Gutenberg (he developed the printing press here). There was also a double-decker carousel that Avery absolutely had to ride (reminded me of Desmond as I'm sure he would have insisted as well). We visited the most touristed area of Strasbourg, known as Le Petite France, which includes some famous 15th century buildings, an old and still functioning lock system, and a building (not sure if it was a hall or a personal residence, or some other place, where Mozart gave many concerts. After the carousel we parted ways with the Anderson clan and walked over to the train station where we boarded the high-speed TGV to Paris and after a 400-km, 2.25-hr ride (and Anna looking like this) we arrived at the Paris Gare de l'est station. We fumbled our way through the subway system and only made one wrong turn to locate the flat we were renting for the next three nights. We arrived at the flat, met our host, Yves, and with a few kisses to the cheek in parting we got our keys, and began to make a game plan for Paris.

Euro Vaca--Day 2: France

Hello folks - We made it to France. It has been another beautiful day, with temperatures in the mid- to high-80s and clear skies. We left Stuttgart this morning and made it to the first of four cities along the Rue de Vins (wine route) - Ribeauvillé. Ribeauvillé is known for its three castles on the same hill that overlook the town. For some reason storks enjoy making their nests at the top of all the towers in these towns. 

I also find it interesting that these tiny towns have such huge churches, and often more than one. The streets and shops are all really neat. Restaurant seating and shop wares, spill out onto the cobblestone streets. The buildings are all half-timbered architecture with those exposed wooden beams. Everything is really picturesque. Nearly all of the buildings, at about 10 ft off the ground, jut outwards, enlarging the second floor's living space by a foot or two on all but two sides.

Across the street from one of the churches here was a neat 15th-century cemetery, which was the former resting place of four sandstone statues that date back to 1494 and now reside inside the church. The statues depict Christ praying on the Mt. of Olives and Peter, James (Jack on the translated welcome sheet), and John (see pic). Peter (far left) is actually holding a knife with which he will "de-ear" some poor centurion.

Next, we made the 2-km jaunt over to Riquewihr, another spot on the wine route and Disney's inspiration for Belle's village in Beauty and the Beast. There's even a fountain after which the animators modeled Belle's fountain. No statue of Gaston though - what a disappointment!

All through this area are vineyards, vineyards, and more vineyards. Here's a pic of the view over the vineyards between Riquewihr and Kayserburg. There's a river running through it and an awesome, huge Christmas shop. These streets are all pretty great, with neat shops and cafés and museums all along the road.

We made it to Strasbourg, Fr to stay the night. The church here is incredible. Anna said, it took her breath away as she rounded the corner and witnessed the spectacular sight for the first time. She also noted that city centers that are basically pedestrian squares with open spaces and outdoor cafes spewing from the buildings onto the cobblestones is completely wonderful. We ate at a nice little restaurant literally at the foot of the cathedral so Anna and Jacob could draw while we waited for our food... Chicken cordon bleu, duck with spaetzel - good stuff. And interesting to note that that is a very combined menu of French and German food. These cities are heavily influenced by both countries seeing that the border is close and hasn't always been so defined as right now. We found an apartment right by the giant cathedral on the website Airbnb to rent for the night. Our "host" had some really spectacular shoes. Wish I had taken a picture. He also had some interesting art work in the bedrooms.

More from Strasbourg tomorrow!

Germany: Day 1

Here begins Rob's obsession with panorama shots.

After approximately 17 hours of travel (including a three hour layover in Turkey, in which we inhaled as many taste testers of Turkish Delight that we could get our hands on) we arrived in Stuttgart, Germany. I was surprised that the 10.5-hr flight to Istanbul went so quickly. And let me just say that Turkish Airlines was great. They fed us dinner shortly after takeoff (nothing like a delicious salmon or chicken breast shortly after midnight) and then a breakfast shortly before landing. In the meantime we slept a good portion of the first flight and then watched movies for the rest of our travels. A luxury we are not usually permitted when travelling with our youngsters. Upon leaving the airport Anna, of course, looked fairly shady and was accosted by the German Customs officer: "Hallo." "I am ze German customs officer" "Vhere are you coming from?" "Vhy Istanbul?" Our answers were satisfactory, apparently, and he let us through without any fuss or bag checking.

Sa-weet bracelet from the Ataturk Airport

5 star service at the Anderson household

Day 1 in Stuttgart: After a little sleeping in, we went to a 15th century monastery in Bebenhausen. Highlights include a 1470 medieval painting of Christ descending from the cross.

Then off to 14th-century Castle (schloss) Lichtenstein, which is built on the edge of a cliff, 250 m over the valley floor. This was really neat. The tour was all in German so we didn't understand much but luckily we were given a sheet with a description of every room. Highlights include a secret exit from the hunting room (where men drink and regale other men with their hunting stories), a broken mirror left-over from a flying window shard from a WWII tank shell blast, and a 6-ft champagne glass that fits 3 full bottles of champagne. The glass requires three people to use: someone to hold the glass, a drinker, and someone to hold the drinker. Prior to touring the castle we had our first German food: bratwurst with French fries and an apple juice/sparkling (apfelschorle) water combo drink (kinda like Martinellis but less carbonation--enough though that Peter would still like it). I had been trying to learn some German all day from Jake and Ashley and successfully ordered our food in German. Thankfully there was a sign to read from; all I had to remember was "ein" for one. That was about it.

European Vacation

SAY WHAT? I haven't posted anything since March?! I'll make up for it with this big news. We went to Europe. Germany and France to be exact. When did we start planning this trip? March. There it is, my big fatty excuse for not posting.

Oh how I needed a vacation, and boy did we take a big one. There is no finer way to shed stress than to spend thousands of dollars in a small amount of time. Ha! Just kidding. It worked once we were actually travelling. Our nudge for this trip came when our dear friends sadly decided to move to Germany last year and leave us and the great state of Maryland. Their departure across the Atlantic Ocean lit a little fire inside our opportunistic travelling selves. We had talked about heading to Europe while living here in the East but would never have actually gone at this point in our lives without a little push. You know, we have all the usual excuses...What will we do with the kids? It's so expensive. I'm nursing. I'm pregnant. We have that project around the house that we need to get to. We'll go in awhile...and on and on. It was high time to saddle up, and be on our way. So we had two glorious and childless weeks. I love my children to pieces, and I now love them even more because I got a rest. A rest where we were able to sight see AND read the signs (as long as they weren't only written in German or French), meander, be outside past bedtime, eat at ridiculous or infrequent hours, or see monuments at a clip no toddler could endure and it was rejuvenating!

And my kids were probably happy for the break from us. This was dreadfully apparent when Aunt Katie was referred to as Mom while we were gone. My mother reminded me of this gem of wisdom, bestowed upon her by my brother (age 8 at the time), as she herself returned from vacation where she had left us with a sitter ,"Mom we need a break from you too," . I imagine she was hoping for something more up the avenue of, "I missed you Mom, you're the best. No one mothers like you do! I'm so grateful you are finally home,". Sorry!

So here to relay tales of our travels to you is Rob who wrote a letter daily during our trip in order to not have to explain to anyone, more than once, what we did. This is going to be a series because, well, we thought the trip was pretty darn exciting and interesting. Don't you worry a bit if you disagree. We're posting anyways!

Willkommen to our adventures!

Family

So I had the missionaries from my church over for dinner the other night. Two 19 year old girls, away from home for 18 months with just letters and two phone calls a year to their families sharing their knowledge of the gospel with the world...and pretending to like whatever they are fed everyday. Good work ladies! Any missionary is impressive and courageous in my book. It takes guts to share something that is precious to you with the full knowledge that more often than not you will get rejected. Sounds like dating :). But that usually works out in the end too. So I'm here today because they gave me a challenge..."Anna, we know you have a wonderful family and we want you to share that with others. Do you know about the Proclamation to the Family? Well we brought a copy of it with us and we'd like you to give it someone else. Tell them what your family means to you and why you think family is important."

So I wanted to take the missionaries challenge, because I promised I would, and because the topic of family and its importance has been on my mind a lot lately. Would you guys read this document for me? Especially anyone, who still reads this poor, neglected blog, that is not of my same faith? Let me know your thoughts about it. Good or bad I'll take them. These are precepts I live my life by so maybe you'll understand me a little bit better if you don't already know this about me.

THE FAMILY: A Proclamation to the World

Well I think those missionaries are right, if I'm allowed to say so. I do have a great family. My new little family is great, the family I grew up in is great, and the family I was able to join thanks to my husband is also great. We sure aren't perfect but we are great. These are all people I genuinely respect, love and feel comfortable around. And man, are we a great time! Ha ha!  But back to the point, I think that most of this "greatness" and strength comes from our love for our and our commitment to our Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father and the central role they play in our lives. I appreciate that there is this common thread between all of my family that knits us together. We don't worship this way out of tradition but out of choice.  Running through the full spectrum of family roles (daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, etc.) has really given me a better grasp on life, to enjoy it more and to see it more completely. And having a family and being a part of a family really brings me joy. Not just like happy, but I feel real joy. Family is what makes my world go round. Seriously. I hope I have made that apparent in my action as well as my words.

As a parting gift I will leave you with some fun family photos. I will keep it brief as we have a lot of family. :

The P clan!

The H clan!

Five generation photo!

Can you pick out my Dad a midst all those brothers?

I think there are only 11 or 12 people in this picture that are not blood relatives.

 Until next time adieu...to you and you and you-oooo!