August 15 – 16, 2012
Upon Iain and Brynja’s advice, we started our road trip by visiting Strasbourg, France. It’s near the border of Germany and meant we could take advantage of the Autobahn and avoid the slow windy roads in the Alps. We only spent one night here to break up the drive towards Lyon.
We arrived in the old part of Strasbourg at twilight to find beautiful buildings and people dining by the canals.
Dining on cobblestone streets is great until a thunderstorm hits. Although we were mostly covered, thankfully they moved us inside!
The streets of the old town were lined with beautiful buildings that had stood the test of time.
As our tour book said, it was a great place to wander aimlessly and enjoy the sights. The architecture is quaint and gives this city a fairytale-like feel.
The old town centers around an incredibly intricate cathedral whose construction was started in the year 1176 and took 263 years to complete! The summer crowds around the cathedral were thick, with everyone craning their necks to look up at the spire. This building stood as the world's tallest until 1874.
Until our arrival, we had no idea that Strasbourg was the headquarters of European Parliament. We decided to pay the relatively new building a visit to see where the great policy makers of the EU come to decide the fate of their countries.
The center of the building opens into a huge courtyard.
On our way back to the car to continue on our road trip, Lauren made a new friend (don't tell Frodo).
Strasbourg was a lovely pit stop on our way towards Lyon and beyond. Our goal is to visit a few of the main cities in France to decide where we’d ultimately like to rent an apartment and work from. See the rest of the Strasbourg photos here! Also, we’ve updated the Map page so check it out if you’d like to see the route our travels have taken us.
Looks like you two are having a wonderful time. How’s the French holding out? Love Mom
Finally caught up on your posts! Great pics and adventures! Continuez à vous amuser bien!