Strasbourg

Strasbourg pictures:

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Saturday was our day to relax.  We did some hiking in the area, which is just so scenic and lush - very enjoyable.  Then we went to Pia's house to enjoy waffles with cherries and whipped cream (!).  Pia has a wonderful garden with chickens, and two very smart Australian Shepherds that she has trained to do some amazing tricks!

Then we had a simple and wonderful last meal with Trudel.  She served Spiegelei, which is fried eggs over ham and toast.  We were all laughing because Spiegelei literally means "mirror eyes" which is what the eggs look like when they're sitting on your plate.

So we went to bed early, and we didn't even hear that one of Trudel's neighbors came over to tell about hearing a story about one of the Schaefer's in my family being involved in a local "wonder" (miracle).  The surprises just keep coming.  Of course Trudel and I are both curious to see what this one is about, so I will post on my research website if we figure anything out.

The next morning, we sadly left our kind hosts and took the train from Koblenz to Karlsruhe, and then a bus into Strasbourg.  We found our hotel in no time and immediately started walking around the city.  Of course we had arrived on a Sunday, so many things were not open.  But we were in the vicinity of the magnificent cathedral when the bells started ringing - they must have gone on for 20 minutes - it was just staggering to hear them and be so close - all we could do was stand there and quietly stare.

We managed to find a little grocery store and bought some bread and cheese and ate in our room which has a small kitchen, so that worked fine.  Yesterday, we went back to the cathedral to learn all about the rather amazing astronomical clock they have inside.  And while there, Iit two candles, one for g-grandmother Marie Grimm Klein, and the other for her mother Pauline - both of whom came to New York from Strasbourg.

The rest of the day was quite pleasant.  We had a fabulous lunch in the local square where there were few tourists, and we walked from one end to the other exploring different areas of the city.  It was lovely, although honestly we were missing the quiet beauty of Udenhausen....

That said, the city did get pretty quiet last evening when the World Cup game started - Germany vs. Portugal, which I understand was one by Germany.  The World Cup is a very big deal here - everybody is following very closely!  And we are just as happy to be mostly oblivious to anything but each day's adventure.