Today marks the one-year anniversary of my abroad experience and I still talk about it to other people to this day. I seriously feel like it was just the other day when I was in Berlin, eating dry bread and cheese, sitting on that bus with 40 other kids and just feeling like I’m on top of the world.
What I would do to replay it all over again…
4 reasons why I’ll miss Strasbourg so much
Too, too weird. I can remember the few days right before leaving for this experience like they happened yesterday. I can’t believe I’m leaving France already!
The hardest thing to do ever is to study for finals on your last week abroad. It’s just not fair….
Syracuse Strasbourg’s End-of-the-Semester dinner at Alsace à Table. Sadness! As the end of the semester draws closer and closer, the anxiety continues to build. I’m going to miss all the people I have met here, and especially those who made my experience here go above and beyond what I was expecting. I had an amazing dinner (salad, quiche, salmon and mashed potatoes and a delicious crème brûlée for dessert) and a great time with my Syracuse friends. I’m seriously going to miss everyone way too much!
December is here! Which means it’s the holiday season; the time for lights, warm beverages, gift-giving and high spirits. Back in early November, I saw workers beginning to set up the attractions and began to get excited. I mean, I already knew that the Christmas markets here were a big deal, but there was also a full-on stage with lights, lanterns and a chandelier-lit walkway? It seemed too good to be true… But then days turned into weeks and before I knew it, it was the end of November and the first weekend of the Christmas season here in Strasbourg. So of course, with blog in mind, I recorded some of the sights! And just in time too, my fellow Frenchman Karen came over to the Bourg from Paris for a visit just to see these famous markets. And without question, we went to visit these famous markets, crossing off another task on the Bucket list. We hit the ground running and visited the three main markets (out of 12 total!) Let the festivities begin!
Even though my face in the picture doesn’t show it, I was super excited to go out and explore the markets! The first one was at Place Broglie, the Christkindelsmärik, which is the main market, full of traditional holiday foods, treats, and gifts for giving to loved ones. Karen and I roamed around the super-packed-with-tourists market with a hot cup of vin chaud in hand, a traditional holiday spiced wine drink here in France.
These hand-painted gingerbread ornaments are one of the various unique Christmas-themed items being sold by local Strasbourgeois artisans.
Next we walked along the tram tracks over to the nearby Place Kléber to see the other market stalls located in the square, as well as the giant sapin de Noël that towers over all the passers-by.
The tree was amazingly tall!
A view of Place Kléber at Christmastime.
Next we walked further into the city-center towards the cathedral to check out the markets over there. The crowds by this time in the day were super thick, so it was difficult to walk around. But we were determined as ever to check every market out!
A letter to Père Noël.
This is the ice-skating rink located right behind the cathedral!
Traditional Alsatian costume.
Literally all the buildings throughout Strasbourg are decorated with thousands of brilliantly sparkly lights.
This is probably my favorite street in all of Strasbourg :)
The city of Strasbourg at Christmastime is seriously a sight to be seen. All of the joy, attention to detail and overall spirit of the entire city changes during this time. The lights not only make the Bourg the brightest city in all of France, but it literally lights your heart up, conveniently during the most wonderful time of the year. It’s getting harder and harder to think about how I’m leaving this twinkling gem of a city, and the amazing experience I had at the Christmas markets definitely do not help. You don’t see this kind of spirit back in the States, that’s for sure. I am going to make the most of this classic Strasbourg tradition until my very last day here!
It was strange thinking about spending Thanksgiving here, without my family, with complete strangers, and in a different country. I thought about the delicious meal I would be missing back home, and missing all the time spent with the people I love. But Syracuse was hosting its own little Thanksgiving substitute: a potluck gathering of all the families and students, each with their own dish, to celebrate culture and giving thanks…. And eating delicious, delicious food of course. My housemate Sophie and I were given a budget of 40€ to spend on making a dish or dessert for the dinner. We decided to make two kinds of cookies, sugar and oatmeal chocolate chip, and I decided to make my favorite baked chicken and three-cheese pasta dish. We spent almost an entire night in the kitchen in preparation for the big dinner, which ended up as a total success!
Our makeshift banner/decoration. It’s crazy how hard it is to find appropriate decor!
The dinner battlefield….
And this was my victory spread!
These were the remains of my pasta dish after being put out on the dinner table for like, 10 minutes. It was an apparent success!
And voila, the cookies! My fave sugar cookie recipe with royal icing. I know it was a bit too early for Christmas shapes, but they were the only ones in the store…
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The dessert table was even crazier than the dinner spread! After the presentation that was shown as part of the entertainment portion of the dinner, everyone and their mère rushed to the desserts. I mean, why not, it all looked so delicious!
Even though it wasn’t the Thanksgiving I was used to, I enjoyed our little celebration with the makeshift family I have made with my friends from the program. Not only did we celebrate our appreciation for love, life and our experience abroad, we did so eating really, really, delicious and tasty food. And you know that’s what I do best. Moments like these are irreplaceable. :)
Guten tag! Two weeks later, I have finally gathered enough creative will to blog again! The two-week hiatus was mostly due to the fact that life here has really started to pick back up, especially since there is less than ONE WEEK left abroad. (Begin to hyperventilate now). But it’s not entirely depressing, I can’t wait to go home and share all my experiences with my loved ones during the most wonderful time of the year! But first, I gotta recap on my equally as wonderful experiences here. So about two weeks ago, I went on an adventure back to Deutschland…
For some reason, I always find myself coming back to Germany. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it’s only about 50 km away or so, but not only is the country so rich in history and culture, it’s also gorgeous and full of interesting sights you wouldn’t normally see here in la France. So once again (and probably for the last time), we piled onto that purple butterfly charter bus and drove off to Heidelberg, Germany for a little culture, schnitzel and some fun times with homies!
The sun decided to poke out a bit, just in time for our trip over to Heidelberg! After two hours on the bus we reached this small German town and immediately embarked on our hike up to Heidelberg castle, the town’s most famous attraction.
Unfortunately, we didn’t know that there were going to be so many stairs involved, and the trek up to the castle was a little difficult…
But we saw some pretty sights along the way!
The view from the last flight of stairs!
At last, we reached the castle. It was a gorgeous palace, especially with the sun poking through the clouds.
Here’s a tiny replica of the castle. It looks a bit like Hogwarts!
There were clear skies to highlight the profound beauty of the ruins… (And all that poetic, lyrical jazz for descriptive emphasis)
After the end of the guided tour, we stopped to marvel at the view from the castle.
Not bad, Heidelberg. Climbing all those stairs definitely paid off!
We then had the afternoon to ourselves for exploring, and we stopped at the Old Bridge of Heidelberg to take some photographs of the scenery.
The cold started to pick up, as did the wind, but we went ahead and crossed the bridge anyway. From the side of the city-center, we had a nice view of the Philosopher’s Way, which was a famous hike up one of the nearby hills.
And that was our afternoon in Heidel-deidel! It was an early morning and a long bus ride, and the cold hit us pretty hard early in the day, but overall the visit was a satisfactory one. Although it was only November, we got a glimpse into the Christmas market preparations, which then got me excited about our very own upcoming markets. I heard that Christmas means business over in the Bourg, so I’m way way way beyond excited to experience it! And of course, there will be updates all about the magic.
The bucket list adventures continue! This week I crossed two things off the list: Going to Schiltigheim and seeing the ballet at the Opéra house. On Thursday night, my partner-in-crime Alaina and I took the tram over to the neighborhood of Schiltigheim, which is located about 15 minutes north from the center of Strasbourg. Getting there was an experience, mainly because it was a definite hike to get from my homie Chinenye’s house to the tram stop (about a 15-20 minute walk), and missing the last tram home wasn’t necessarily a highlight. But the neighborhood was super cute, and the houses were very adorable! The next day, we all went to the ballet, which was a contemporary ballet showcase called Opus Corpus. While I normally enjoy more classical ballet, this modern spectacular was interesting and got very intense towards the end… Overall, I would recommend people go and see it! It was also my first time in the opera house, which was a gorgeous building, despite all the scaffolding and remodeling going on outside. Alors, great progress this weekend, and the quest to conquer the bucket list goes on!
Ah, chocolat. I think I may have developed an addiction to the stuff when I was a very young child, so of course when my school offered a free chocolate tasting at the most famous pâtisserie here in Strasbourg, Pâtisserie Christian, I had to be first on the list! The experience was so worth it. I never knew there was such an art behind crafting chocolate, like where the cocoa beans come from, the temperature at which they need to be roasted, the right about of cocoa butter needed, etc. I learned so much from the presentation, especially because the head chocolatier was so passionate about his craft, it has changed my entire perception on eating chocolate!
Here is what an actual cocoa plant looks like, before the beans are extracted for chocolate making.
These beans, all the way from Vietnam, are what makes good chocolate.
They are then roasted and caramelized to extract the flavor. We actually got to taste these beans, and you can taste the pure chocolate taste even before it’s processed.
We had all of these chocolates to try, and from all over the world. We tasted chocolate with beans from places like Haiti, New Guniea, Venezuela and Java. The key to good chocolate is the ground in which the bean plants are planted. For example, the beans from Java were planted in soil in an environment that has highly active volcanic activity. When you taste the chocolate from that region, there is a distinct smoky aftertaste, a direct correlation to the ashy volcanic soils in which the beans were planted!
Never in my life have I eaten so much delicious chocolate in one sitting!
Overall, the tasting was so much fun! And of course, only in France would I be able to get a crash-course on the finer side to chocolates and chocolate-making. I am definitely going back to this pâtisserie before going home to pick up some chocolate treasures for the trip back home (which is in three weeks! Eek!)!
Bon dimanche! I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend like I did! So this weekend I spent some quality girl time with my homies, and crossing two things off my Strasbourg bucket list One of them being a visit to Strasbourg’s famous park! Yesterday, Alaina and I took a quick walk in the Parc de l’Orangerie over by her apartment. The park is one of the most beautiful spots in Strasbourg, and was a major to-do on my list, so I was determined as ever to visit. Donc, we bundled up and went out to balader in the chill Strasbourgeois air. The park was indeed pretty, especially because of the ever-changing colors of fall, something that I definitely do not experience back home in California!
This picture was taken at the entrance of the park. I was so taken aback by the variation of fall colors in the trees!
There was also a pretty lake/pond/pool thing!
We began our trek in the woods…
But first stopped for a waffle snack at the park snack bar. I had a yummy nutella waffle. Nom!
These giant storks are famous in Alsace and serve as the region’s symbol. They’re all over the souvenir shops as stuffed animals, hats, keychain mascots, etc.
We had many photoshoots of the scenery, like of this pretty trellis, and managed to catch some of the sky with the sun setting in the background.
Overall, it was a great day in the park! I’ve always wanted to take a little walk through one of Strasbourg’s most picturesque spots, despite the drastic temperature drop, just to see the fall colors and the giant Alsatian storks. Another task off the list! I think I’m making good progress with this bucket list. And with good reason, too. There’s only four more weekends left in the Bourg!
Happy Armistice Day! Residing in the more victorious country after the first World War, most of Strasbourg’s shops and cafés were closed down in celebration. So instead of being French nationals, my buddies, Alaina and Chinenye and I hopped on a very full bus to Germany to check out our neighbor country… You know, just for the day. No big deal. And I got to cross off number 14 off of my Strasbourg bucket list!
The tiny town was mostly for cheap shopping, which was a nice break from the expensive-ness of the Bourg.
A typical German church, with it’s pointy gothic arches. It was already all decked out for Christmas! Major plus side to being in Europe in November is seeing the holiday cheer up so early.
We saw some pretty interesting sights at some of the shops.
Here was an…..interestingly titled store we found.
Some local footwear.
In short, our visit, although very short was pretty interesting. There was a lot of commotion in the town since it was a holiday, meaning there were many tourists out and about which made it hard to move around since the crowds were large and uncomfortable at times, but on the bright side there was a cute little fair with music, dancing and cotton candy! We also found a super cheap beauty supply store and I scored some cheap products. Overall, it was a pretty successful trip over to our neighbor Germany! Only in Strasbourg can you hop the border in 10 minutes to spend the afternoon in a whole other country. More reasons why I’ll miss my Bourg!
As this week comes to a close, it means that there are only about five weeks left in the Bourg. No, I’m not panicking (just yet), instead I’ve decided to take action! Inspired by my good friend, Jackie (www.londonswag.tumblr.com), I created my very own bucket list of things to do before going back to the States! I’m going to try my best to cross everything off on this list (although more things might be added, in case I miss them) and of course, I’ll be updating about them every step of the way! Also, Strasbourg has began its Christmas preparations, which has bestowed deeper motivation for me to get out and experience all that Alsace has to offer, with the most important event being the world-famous Christkindelsmärik (German) Marché de Noël (French) or in plain english, Christmas Market which starts on the 26th of November.
So the list is a little daunting since there’s only about five or so weeks left…. But I’m determined as ever to get these tasks done. Let’s see how this goes! Bonne chance!
Day two of the Parisian excursion! We woke up super early to get a head start on the day, but ended up pushing our schedule back to eat a delicious breakfast at a nearby café. But after the hearty meal, we hopped on the train and were on our way!
Off to Versailles! Here was our Métro stop, Cambronne.
Et voilà, Versailles! It was my first time, too. When we got to the Palais, we were pleasantly surprised to see the box office doors closed…admission was free for the first Sunday of the month!
This was the reaction to the discovery that the exhibit was free!
The Palace was so beautiful! This was taken inside the Hall of Mirrors. The only downside to the free admission day were the hoards of crowds trying to pass through the entire exhibit. It slowed us down a little bit, but nevertheless, Versailles was still gorgeous!
We then went to the gardens for a cutesy photoshoot. The view was breathtaking, bien sûr.
The sun also decided to shine out through the clouds for a bit, making our Versailles visit that much prettier. :)
We showed our appreciation for the arts by imitating the beautiful statues.
Channeling Marie Antoinette.
After Versailles, it was off to the Louvre! Unfortunately, the lines were too long, so we decided to skip the exhibit and just take pictures of the Pyramid outside.
Perfectly assembled under the Pyramid! DaVinci Code status.
Next up was a walk down the Champs-Élysées to seek out some delicious Ladurée macarons.
The number one macaron bakery in all of France! If you’ve never eaten a Ladurée macaron, then you’ve never eaten a macaron, period.
We strolled through the street to peer into shops to dream and pretend that we could buy stuff.
But overall I was very, very satisfied with my Ladurée purchases, and with this Parisian adventure.
Sadly, we reached the end of our trip. Before heading back to London and the Bourg, we had one last Parisian dinner together to conclude our trip. This might have been one of the best trips to Paris I’ve ever been on. Third time was definitely a charm. Sadly, I’m not sure if I’ll be back to visit during the rest of my semester abroad, but Paris always holds a place in my heart. I’ll definitely be back very soon. But for now, it’s back to my tiny home known as Strasbourg, and waiting for more adventures to come. Until next time, bisous!
Bonsoir! It is a foggy Strasbourgian night, which is the perfect opportunity for blogging about the amazing weekend I just had in Paris! It was basically a-Paris-in-a-nutshell kind of tour, with yours truly as the tourguide. We saw la Tour Eiffel, l’Arc de Triomphe, les Champs-Élysées, Montmartre, Notre-Dame, and a whole lot more. As this was Vyvyence’s (www.vyvyensay.tumblr.com) first time, it was without question that we were to have an action-packed, whirlwind tour of the capital of my “homeland!” And so we did the impossible and saw all of Paris’ best in two days! There were many chuckles made, re-enactments of beautiful sculptures recorded, Métro tickets purchased and tasty macarons eaten. At 7AM on Saturday morning, I boarded my TGV to Paris Est and began the 48 hour take-over. Upon arrival, I met up with fellow Frenchman, Karen (www.karencitasalas.tumblr.com) and took the Métro to meet up with the homies.
First stop was the pointy symbol of France, la Tour Eiffel! Luckily, the forecast had lied and none of the predicted showers happened. Quelle chance! After a ton of pictures, and a carousel ride later, we hopped on those teal-colored trains and kept on going with Mission: Paris.
Next up was L’Arc de Triomphe and a bit of the Champs-Élysées.
Major picture time.
Then right after we went to the Sacré-Coeur and toured around Montmartre for a little bit.
This was an attempt to get the view of the city from the hilltop. You can sort of see it in the background.
Next, we visited the Notre-Dame to look for our dear friend Quasimoto…
And after a delicious dinner in the Quartier Latin, it was back on the Métro to the hotel for a good night’s rest.
But first, a quick midnight trip to see la Tour Eiffel light up. It was so pretty! We even caught it twinkle right as we were about to leave the park. Definitely an epic movie-like moment! Back to the hotel to rest and recharge for day two!
