Andy would bicycle across town, in the rain, to bring you candy
You know, none of the pictures I post are my own. I do not know how to upload from my camera, so all pictures I put here come from somewhere else on the web.
Yesterday, my first full day in Strasbourg (the jewel of Alsace) was one of the best days of my entire trip. Not because Strasbourg was one of the best cities I've visited -- although I have no real complaints -- but rather, because yesterday contained most of the elements of what I am looking for in a trip, very little went wrong and I felt consistently content or excited by what I was doing. Because I did so many things, I will list them with numbers.
1. I rented a bicycle. Which brings me to "regrets." I have few true regrets on this trip. True, I have made many MISTAKES. And I have had many things go WRONG. And I do not doubt that I have made choices to visit cities or sights that were ultimately not the best ones I could have chosen. I can't feel regret over these because no person and no trip is perfect. I couldn't have done better. I DO feel regret over not renting a bike until yesterday. I've KNOWN since day 1 that I would enjoy exploring some of these cities on a bicycle. I see people riding everywhere and I know that most European cities are much friendlier to bicycles than they are in Los Angeles. Still, for some reason, I was too lazy or too cheap or too unmotivated to get up that much earlier in the morning and rent one. Renting a bicycle yesterday was the best decision I ever made. I got to explore the entire city of Strasbourg and get more of the exercise I have been craving. I was able to carry more in my basket that I can comfortably carry on my back. I got to feel the cold and refreshing air of Alsace on my face rather than soak in the heat my body produces when I walk for hours. True, while Alsace is amazingly bike friendly (lanes EVERYWHERE) it is one of the most confusing cities I have ever visited (including Durham, North Carolina) with no real way or orienting oneself, an irrelevant north/south/east/west, no one major central river and no center street. I was glad to be on a bike because when I made mistakes and got lost I was able to correct them fairly quickly.
2. I visited the Strasbourg Cathedral. I've seen far more cathedrals on this trip than I had ever planned (it's funny how once I am in a new city I feel a moral obligation to visit the cathedral), and it has been weeks since I began to grow tired of them. Still, this one was one of the best. Very tall, very scary, very ornate without being tacky (lots of carving, rather than colors), stained glas windows, dark...
3. I climbed up the cathedral steps for yes, a "breathtaking view". The 330 steps to the top also left me "out of breath."
4. The Astronomical clock in the cathedral. Boring. Totally missable, but I waited outside for 45 minutes to see it perform as it always does at 12:30 (the apostles dance out and Jesus blesses them).
5. Lunch! I know, I know...I try to eat as much "typical" food as I can, but this time I broke my rule and had that sort of modern California-ish, healthy, not so oily, "Asian" food that grows more and more popular. And this was some of the best I've ever had. Spare ribs, noodles, some Alsatian wine (pinot noir) and I was so happy. I spent more than I would have liked (ever since I hit Germany), but the trip is almost over, so no matter.
6. Bicycled to and through The Orangerie, the most famous of Strasbourg's (many) city parks. Here, I felt a real jolt of happiness. I felt relaxed, even though I was pedaling my feet.
7. I BOWLED. I came across a bowling alley in the middle of the Orangerie park. I haven't bowled since I left home, and I had nothing better to do, so I paid a few Euro and bowled a game. According to the machine I scored a 101, but I think I was given an extra pin by mistake (giving me a spare on the 10th frame) and thus allowing me to break 100.
8. Biked around the international buildings (Strasbourg is one of only 3 cities that are not world capitals that are base to major international organizations!)
9. I biked out of town to the north into a quiet suburb, looking for something different. It was boring.
10. A boat tour around the city. Not really my thing, but it was included in the 10 euro ticket I bought that also got me the bike and entry into the cathedral. I felt sleepy, especially as night fell.
11. Dinner at a touristy Alsatian restaurant near the Cathedral. As often happens when I dine alone in Europe, I find myself talking to the person next to me. This time, it was a Dutch woman who commented on my attempt to speak French with the waitress. We talked for the rest of dinner, only interrupted by...
12. This woman who was singing with a microphone in the restaurant and occasionally making the audience participate. She started singing mostly French and German songs that I didn't recognize, but when she started singing "Money Money Money" from ABBA, she must have seen my eyes perk up because she ran over to me with a microphone and made me sing the chorus. She had done the same for many of the other tourists in the restaurant who, not knowing the words, mostly grunted into the mic. But she must have been surprised that I knew the words. Later on, she was singing a song that required dancing and pulled me and a big fat German guy from our seats to perform it. She had this guy and me twirling each other around and alternating kicks while she sang. It was all terribly fun, especially since I'll never see anybody in that restaurant again. And, I heard something I'll probably NEVER hear again: "Good singing! And good dancing!" Oh, what people will say for tips!
13. Back to the hotel bar where I was reading over a campari and soda when this French guy starts talking to me and invites me to join his table of friends. By the end of the night I was standing outside the hotel singing Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat" with another, Strasbourger.. They all invited me to a party (which was tempting), but I wanted to get up early today so I could visit the Route de Vin. Which too, was a lot of fun.
Yesterday, my first full day in Strasbourg (the jewel of Alsace) was one of the best days of my entire trip. Not because Strasbourg was one of the best cities I've visited -- although I have no real complaints -- but rather, because yesterday contained most of the elements of what I am looking for in a trip, very little went wrong and I felt consistently content or excited by what I was doing. Because I did so many things, I will list them with numbers.
1. I rented a bicycle. Which brings me to "regrets." I have few true regrets on this trip. True, I have made many MISTAKES. And I have had many things go WRONG. And I do not doubt that I have made choices to visit cities or sights that were ultimately not the best ones I could have chosen. I can't feel regret over these because no person and no trip is perfect. I couldn't have done better. I DO feel regret over not renting a bike until yesterday. I've KNOWN since day 1 that I would enjoy exploring some of these cities on a bicycle. I see people riding everywhere and I know that most European cities are much friendlier to bicycles than they are in Los Angeles. Still, for some reason, I was too lazy or too cheap or too unmotivated to get up that much earlier in the morning and rent one. Renting a bicycle yesterday was the best decision I ever made. I got to explore the entire city of Strasbourg and get more of the exercise I have been craving. I was able to carry more in my basket that I can comfortably carry on my back. I got to feel the cold and refreshing air of Alsace on my face rather than soak in the heat my body produces when I walk for hours. True, while Alsace is amazingly bike friendly (lanes EVERYWHERE) it is one of the most confusing cities I have ever visited (including Durham, North Carolina) with no real way or orienting oneself, an irrelevant north/south/east/west, no one major central river and no center street. I was glad to be on a bike because when I made mistakes and got lost I was able to correct them fairly quickly.
2. I visited the Strasbourg Cathedral. I've seen far more cathedrals on this trip than I had ever planned (it's funny how once I am in a new city I feel a moral obligation to visit the cathedral), and it has been weeks since I began to grow tired of them. Still, this one was one of the best. Very tall, very scary, very ornate without being tacky (lots of carving, rather than colors), stained glas windows, dark...
3. I climbed up the cathedral steps for yes, a "breathtaking view". The 330 steps to the top also left me "out of breath."
4. The Astronomical clock in the cathedral. Boring. Totally missable, but I waited outside for 45 minutes to see it perform as it always does at 12:30 (the apostles dance out and Jesus blesses them).
5. Lunch! I know, I know...I try to eat as much "typical" food as I can, but this time I broke my rule and had that sort of modern California-ish, healthy, not so oily, "Asian" food that grows more and more popular. And this was some of the best I've ever had. Spare ribs, noodles, some Alsatian wine (pinot noir) and I was so happy. I spent more than I would have liked (ever since I hit Germany), but the trip is almost over, so no matter.
6. Bicycled to and through The Orangerie, the most famous of Strasbourg's (many) city parks. Here, I felt a real jolt of happiness. I felt relaxed, even though I was pedaling my feet.
7. I BOWLED. I came across a bowling alley in the middle of the Orangerie park. I haven't bowled since I left home, and I had nothing better to do, so I paid a few Euro and bowled a game. According to the machine I scored a 101, but I think I was given an extra pin by mistake (giving me a spare on the 10th frame) and thus allowing me to break 100.
8. Biked around the international buildings (Strasbourg is one of only 3 cities that are not world capitals that are base to major international organizations!)
9. I biked out of town to the north into a quiet suburb, looking for something different. It was boring.
10. A boat tour around the city. Not really my thing, but it was included in the 10 euro ticket I bought that also got me the bike and entry into the cathedral. I felt sleepy, especially as night fell.
11. Dinner at a touristy Alsatian restaurant near the Cathedral. As often happens when I dine alone in Europe, I find myself talking to the person next to me. This time, it was a Dutch woman who commented on my attempt to speak French with the waitress. We talked for the rest of dinner, only interrupted by...
12. This woman who was singing with a microphone in the restaurant and occasionally making the audience participate. She started singing mostly French and German songs that I didn't recognize, but when she started singing "Money Money Money" from ABBA, she must have seen my eyes perk up because she ran over to me with a microphone and made me sing the chorus. She had done the same for many of the other tourists in the restaurant who, not knowing the words, mostly grunted into the mic. But she must have been surprised that I knew the words. Later on, she was singing a song that required dancing and pulled me and a big fat German guy from our seats to perform it. She had this guy and me twirling each other around and alternating kicks while she sang. It was all terribly fun, especially since I'll never see anybody in that restaurant again. And, I heard something I'll probably NEVER hear again: "Good singing! And good dancing!" Oh, what people will say for tips!
13. Back to the hotel bar where I was reading over a campari and soda when this French guy starts talking to me and invites me to join his table of friends. By the end of the night I was standing outside the hotel singing Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat" with another, Strasbourger.. They all invited me to a party (which was tempting), but I wanted to get up early today so I could visit the Route de Vin. Which too, was a lot of fun.
posted by Jed at 10:37 AM
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