Sofitel Strasbourg

I started the week in Geneva because of work. During my weekly Skype call with my parents, they mentioned my brother would be leaving for Paris the next morning. Nice of him to tell me! I called him but couldn't get a hold of him, so tried again in the morning. By the time I was awake on Monday, he was in bed for the night, but luckily he woke up and answered the phone. He told me he had a free day on Wednesday with no plans so this would be a good day for us to ...

... some gourmet candy we bought at a nearby shop.<br><br>Strasbourg, like other towns in Alsace, has a distinct, half-timber-style architecture that is very German looking &#8211; 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&#8217;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.

... was very easy driving at the 130km limit, but funny being overtaken by smaller Renaults and Citroens going flat out. <br><br>We stopped at a petrol station along the way to use their toilets and have our picnic lunch - due to the lack of alternatives this was using a Mercedes A-class picnic table in the car park. <br><br>It was quite a long drive (in terms of distance) - about 350km, but fairly easy due to the excellent quality of the road. The down ...

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.

... Dame which houses gothic works and original sculptures and such from the cathedral itself. The museum is housed in a series of middle-age buildings connected by courtyards - a beautiful and fitting setting. After the museum we did more ambling and found ourselves wandering through the Petite France area - a charming quarter of canals, flower boxes, and half-timbered buildings. In the evening we laid low and cooked dinner in. On Saturday Noemi whisked us off to Germany for ...

Day 9 Saverne to Nancy Distance: a measly and wet 40 km Best bit : tranquil canal (plus my first ever banana and chocolate croissant) Worst bit: heavy rain all day The landlady showed me a postcard this morning from an Irish cycling lad who had stayed with her in January. He too had big dreams of reaching Turkey, but having sent the postcard from Austria several weeks after ...

... course mulled wine (hot OJ for Karyn). In between all the eating, we visited the Petite France quarter of the old town which is very quaint. Also climbed hundreds of steps up the massive Cathedral to see panoramic views over the city and went iceskating on the outdoor rink. We walked for hours each day but think all the eating we did counteracted it!

... couple days, even though it has been good too but I am not a fish person. After dinner, I decided to walk around the city some more. I call it "getting lost" in the city, but last night I really did. I ended up in the west part of the city until I hit the train station and then walked around some more thought I was going one way, but really wasnt. It wasnt until I hit a sign showing me directions until I ...