Hotel Cully Niederbronn-Les-Bains

... 8 hours until 6pm and see if there are any no-shows or go to Vogelweh. Vogelweh was a more expensive option but a sure thing and I could have it immediately.

We weighed all the factors and decided that in our exausted condition, Vogelweh was the best option so we picked up our rental car and headed out.

Featured Excursion: Strasbourg canal cruise
Optional Tour: Haute Königsburg

"See Strasbourg the way it has been seen through the centuries—on a canal cruise. In addition to viewing the town's covered bridges, medieval watchtowers and modern building that houses the European Parliament, you will see "Petite France," a picturesque district that seems as if it has been lifted from the pages of a fairy tale"

(To be continued)

... what I understand more places are normally open here on Sunday, but in August a good portion of the city is gone. This is due to Strasbourg being the seat of a large portion of European Community institutions and they shut down for the month of August, taking with them much of the community. Some neighborhoods were complete ghost towns, but we felt like we had them all to ourselves, so we could explore without impediment.

We returned to ...

... France and walked a winding path to the Cathedral. Unfortunately it was closed for some reason so we only got to admire the exterior. We stopped for lunch at a delicious Alsatian restaurant, Au Dauphin. Here we experience the delicious local specialty, tarte flambée. It is similar in appearance to a pizza. The crust is lighter and thinner, and there is no tomato sauce or cheese, but instead a delicious cream. For toppings, the ...

... boarding No 125 to Finchley at Southgate Tube every morning at 8:15. You're so sexy! Fancy sharing a bottle of wine? Leggy blond in red dress.'
Article: 'Trafalgar Has Been "Trashed". Trafalgar square has been "trashed" by louts, loud music and uncivilized behavior and should be turned back into a traffic island, according to the director of the National Gallery. Dr. Nicholas Penny said that events in the "bloody awful" Square ...

... the way that he does. Finally, I had heard that he was an engaging, charismatic speaker, but after taking his class, I now know that he is not only engaging and charismatic, but he also informed, passionate, and an all around great speaker. The Communications major in me was excited to see that. :)

Thursday night was our last night in Strasbourg, and we still had not taken the canal tour, so we went to the sundown tour, which was at 9:30 pm. I ...

... up some Spanish, too. Not too shabby.

The afternoon was the Mercedes Benz museum, and it started to rain just as we got there. No worries, it's all inside. The museum is huge, and even the building is interesting. The tourguide was hilarious, and we had little earpieces so we didn't have to be too close to him. He asked us where we were all from, and he gave me **** about Australia. He even made a subtle Nazi-themed joke (the Germans didn't even pick it up), then had a ...

I slept very late (10 am) because I read my book until about midnight. Jonathan and his friends were playing cards by firelight outside. (I would have had marshmallows to toast, but they had sausages instead.) For lunch we had tarte flambée, a Lubrez family tradition for Daniel's birthday. He says that he is the cook, but Denise did most of the work and Jonathan tended the fire. The tarte ...

... five minutes from the hotel. But I simply use this for one-off items. The Italian restaurant that I frequent is a simple and informal place, but the food is great. This night I settled for the 'Castello', a pizza with funghi,pepperoni,salami and olives. This is one of my favorite pizza combination, and here it is wonderfully prepared. Then, it was quiet walk through the night, and then back to the hotel for a coffee and a drink, in a bar which was quite deserted ...

After Santiago (last letter, right?) I went to Carcassone, France. It's the biggest walled medieval city in Europe.

The hostel was great, actually in the old city, but it was swimming with French pre-teens on a school trip. I rented a bike and rode 30 km down the Canal du Midi which connect the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The, my butt was sore for days.

Next I went to Avignon, another walled city. I hung out with a friendly ...