Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg was my favorite city (before I went to Paris). It’s a truly charming place—the center of the town is an island that’s a UNESCO world heritage site. The narrow streets and cobblestones transport you back to ye olden days. But what made the city better than the rest was how easy it was to walk around and enjoy the town—I was able to get to know the city well because it was so accessible.

One of my favorite discoveries was a patisserie and chocolate shop not too far from our hotel. We got hot chocolate, rum balls, tea, and king cake after wandering the historic streets and attending court cases for my class. Strasbourg even has its own Notre Dame—while a miniature version, I found it a bit more intimate that Paris’. It seems that everything in the town revolves around the cathedral—it really gives you a sense of place in Strasbourg. We got a group of brave souls together to climb the 300 step, spiral staircase to the top of the cathedral’s tower. We had to stop on the way up to catch our breathe, recover from the dizziness, and take picture through the windows cut out of the tower. On the ground again, we went to the Beaux Arts museum. Others in the group raved about the city’s historical museum and the Judaic museum.

The city has a strong German influence being in the Alsace region and having experienced many territory changes between French and German rule. One of the funniest results of the mix of the two cultures are the Winstubes—like a bier stubes emphasizing wines. Another quirk is the Strabourgeois’ obsession with storks. While we didn’t see any of the birds, the residents make roof top habitats to try and attract a family to roost. The classic souvenir from a visit to Strasbourg is a stork stuffed animal.

The “business” part of our visit, or actual reason for traveling there, was to attend a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe. The case focused on the changing rules states need to make to protect the rights to a private life in an age of mass communication and the internet. Max Mosley, the president of F1 racing, brought the UK to court for not sufficiently protecting his rights by allowing a newspaper to reveal a sex scandal he was involved in. After the trial, we piled back onto the Eurail heading for Luxembourg. I really didn’t want to leave—I’d love to go back some day and see more of the Alsacean region.