Ritter Durbach

... the rest of the day in Strasbourg, eating at the same restaurant I ate at last time so he could experience tarte flambee. We also tried some Alsatian wine, which was excellent.

He went in the cathedral while I waited in the sunshine with Lincoln, so I still haven't seen the interior or gone up the tower. We also went on a mini train tour of the city which was pretty fun, being a serious tourist.

We headed back to the train station after a quick ...

... some gourmet candy we bought at a nearby shop.

Strasbourg, like other towns in Alsace, has a distinct, half-timber-style architecture that is very German looking – not surprising since this part of France has so often switched back and forth between the French and the Germans. It makes for some very scenic pedestrian lanes, cafés, and winstubs that I couldn’t stop taking photos of. We eventually found one we liked near the idyllic ...

Hablar de Estrasburgo es hablar de la Gran Isla en la que se asienta su centro histórico, abrazada por el rio Ill, afluente del Rhin. Es uno de los cascos medievales mejor conservados de Europa y su catedral es una de las mas altas del mundo. La recorrimos en barco por sus canales y paseamos por el barrio de la Petite France, el mas pinturesco de Estrasburgo y el que tiene mas canales.

... and got lost trying to find others. Our feet were tired and our minds were overflowing with information. The Zevisit audiotours were interesting and informative, but we all agreed two in one day was too many. We decided to take a tram back to the centre and browsed in a few shops on our way back to the car. Then we spotted an ice cream cafe and decided it would be nice to sit and relax with a deliciously decadent ice cream dessert.

We caught the wrong train and wound up in Gengenbach. While we were waiting for a train back we met a lady who told us the town had a beautiful old-town section. So we went discovering again. After a good look around we stopped at a pub while we were waiting for the next train and got talking to the owner. Turns out he'd been to Australia on holiday, so we had a good time talking to him until it was time to go.

Day trip from Villingen. Wolfach has a factory cum tourist attraction where they blow the glass manually. It was good to watch them making vases etc. in the traditional way. The highlight for me was dobbing Roz in to get up on the stage and blow her own vase. She did a good job, and we bought the vase and brought it home. A very special souvenir.

Home of the world famous Hubert Herr clock factory. Met Reinhard Herr, Hubert's great grandson, who still owns and runs the place. The clocks are still handmade and handcarved in the traditional designs. They even make their own clock movements. Spent an hour or so talking to the gentleman, and he explained ...

Nick being incredibly late and us being deceived by countless cars claiming to be him
the inaugural McBrunch
emergence of Bosh's Canadian flag as a force to be reckoned with
longest drive ever to the worst city ever with Nick and Nick's brother
-all roads lead to Reims
-wedding ...

... spent after that walk, but somehow Luke and I found the energy to go and get very drunk on the cheap German beer with some locals we met near the center of the old town (who this time didn´t attempt to steal my wallet). Freiburg is a very nice town, probably on par with San Sebastian for size, but definitely more charming. The forest on the mountains around the town provide a scenic backdrop everywhere you look, and the town itself is full of cobblestone streets ...

... walk across the boarder to the new country's public transportation system or do the 2 neighboring districts work and fund the system together. Hmmmmmm? We made it to Trier and were immediately shocked by how huge the city was. I was expecting a small town. We parked the car and were soon pleased. While the town is huge, the old city center is very small and intimate. I suppose it is like all European cities - A'dam for instance is a lot bigger than what the tourists see. Trier is ...