A quick trip to France

So we went to France this weekend. It was our anniversary gift to each other amidst all the moving and new country chaos that we're sorting through. We didn't go to Paris, though- we're fortunate enough to be close to the border with France, and only 1.5 hours away from a French town called Straasbourg. (Or "Straaaaazboorg," as our German guide called it) Straasbourg, we found out, is a unique combination of the two cultures, and home to the European Union's parliament. There's a ton of old half-timbered German-style houses, twisty cobblestoned pathways, a canal, an old fort, and lots of nice outdoor cafes to while away a day. With as modern and fast-paced as Stuttgart can be, the quaint-ness and little break that Straasbourg gave us made us feel like we were in the picturesque little postcard village one imagines when one conjures up images of Europe. It was also a lot easier for us to navigate our way through shopping and meals, because I speak the language. We'll eventually figure out enough German, perhaps even with language classes offered on the base, but for now, French is more comfortable.

One of the highlights of our trip were seeing the cathedral in town, which looked to be crusted over with delicate gingerbread detailing, and built in a red sandstone peculiar to the area. The cathedral was interesting too, in that even though it was a gothic cathdral, it was missing one of the towers over the entrance. Our guide explained that when they were building it, the builders became concerned that the land they were building on couldn't support the weight of it all, so they capped off the tower structure, and left it unfinished-looking.

Kristin loved eating the mini-cakes and pastries we bought from a bakery. The baked goods throughout the region -Germany and France both- are terrific. As we ate our tartes flambee along the banks of the canal, our eating experience was made all the more authenticly French when the accordian player sat down on some nearby steps and started playing "La vie en rose" and other Frenchy tunes. Cheesy, but we loved it.