I Survived the Autobahn!

Seriously, I survived, even though I thought I might have a heart attack at any moment. In the "no speed limit zones" Emilee drove over 100 MILES per hour at times. Not kilometers, but MILES. At times I just closed my eyes out of fear. I had to keep telling myself that she was used to this. And she was. But it still takes some getting used to.

Where did we go day-trippin' to this time? Strasbourg, France. Strasbourg, France is the seat of the European Parliament. Perhaps you heard about it when President Obama visited the city on his trip to Europe in June when he paid homage to the WWII soldiers who died at Normandy. Ever since then, I've been curious about the city. Emilee had heard it was a nice little city to visit. It was not quite two hours away (going 100MPH!). Strasbourg is right over the border from Germany, so it looks German in its architecture, but French in its canals, bridges, and landscaping. Both German and French are widely spoken there.

We first made our way to the Cathedrale de Notre Dame to buy tickets to see the Astronomical Clock ring at 12:30. Everyday at that time, there is a special "showing" which includes a slide show presentation prior to it to explain what all the figures are, the symbolism, etc. It was quite a long wait between entering and the ringing. Emilee went and sat in a pew while I stood, perspiring, camera-ready, anticipating a grand show! What a disappointment. The entire "show" was seen in the slide show, so when the real thing happened, it was not a surprise, and not exciting. However, I did manage to get it on camera for anyone else who might find it interesting.

Next we went in search of Flammekuchen, supposedly the local specialty. After more or less giving up trying to find an open cafe with reasonable prices, we settled on a take-away stand. I did get Flammekuchen which resembled a tortilla spread with a kind of white cheese sauce, sprinkled with pieces of ham and cheese, then grilled. It was quite good, actually. For dessert, I bought a "bretzel" (pretzel) made from slightly sweet dough, sprinkled with sugar. It was light and airy. I bought a "beignet" with nutella in the middle for Emilee. But she was being 'good' and didn't want to eat the calories. Good for her! Bad for me, as I ate part of it, then threw the rest away.


We walked around the pedestrian zone and noticed there was a Food Cultures Festival going on where we mainly saw food from Germany, France, and Romania. There were some people from Romania dressed in beautiful, traditional costumes, and then some French people dressed up in weird costumes, trying to raise money. We never figured out the point of them, but.....


























































Emilee and I were starting to get weary from walking around the cobblestone streets, not quite sure how to see all that we wanted to see, so we decided on a canal boat tour. It was a very reasonable price (unlike the one in Amsterdam), so we took an uncovered boat trip. The time of day was perfect for it (3:45) because the sun wasn't quite so hot, and there was a nice breeze. As a matter of fact, the movement of the boat was lulling me to sleep. I had to fight to keep my eyes open at times. I even asked Emilee if she was going to be okay to drive home because I couldn't imagine driving home after that!

There were three parts of the boat trip that were very interesting to me: seeing the timbered buildings that dated back, some as far as the 1100's to the 1600's.; seeing the European Parliament buildings and apartments, and finally, going through the locks and watching how quickly the water levels rise and fall.




























Getting off the boat, Emilee and I headed to La Petite France which we had previously seen on the boat. Stopping to have a wurst and choucroute (sourkraut), we continued on to the La Petite France for more 'photo opportunities', then back to the car for the journey home.






In reflecting on the types of transportation we have used while in Europe - plane, train, and automobile, I can see the benefits and drawbacks of each.
If you want to get to know the people and really experience the culture, you must travel by train. However, you are dependent on the train schedules and you have to stay alert to changes in schedules, or you might miss your train. And then you could be stranded......in, say....ZURICH! (Ah, darn!) But then you hear the local languages being spoken, see the countryside, observe how the locals travel, their customs, etc., and if you are traveling First Class, you can experience the luxury of the First Class seats, cabins, Quiet Cabins, their food service, Sleeper Cabins, Internet Access (on the high speed trains), and more.
If you have a need for speed, then the plane is the way to go. And with planes such as Ryan Air where you can find fares for zero euros (and pay only for taxes, checked baggage, and priority seating), you can fly cheaply. However, to get the cheap fares, you'll most likely have to fly the Red Eye flights. Then you must think of the time driving to the airport, being there ahead of time.....You will definitely have some red, red eyes! But you will certainly save in travel time!
If your priority is to be on your own time schedule, then traveling by car is the way to go. It takes away a lot of the stress of having to meet timelines! Of course, then you must pay the high price of gas, car rental (unless your daughter has one like mine does), tolls (and they can be quite high in some countries), and then you have to drive. It also isolates you from the locals. That can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you feel. Also, you need to think about finding car garages in cities where parking is at a premium (most European cities) and worry about the local teens taking part in such activities as "alighting cars" (known to be an activity going on in parts around Strasbourg). But driving gives you a sense of independence.
In my opinion, try them all. Get a little taste of each type of transportation. That way, you can appreciate each for what it offers.