Category Travel
Where have I been?
The other day Amanda posted some visual travel logs (which she, in turn, got from her sister Rachel), and challenged me to post my own (because, natch, this IS a competition). It would appear that I should have focused more on the big countries like Russia and China — all those tiny Caribbean and Central American […]
Homeward Bound
Well, I’m back. Overall, the return trip to the United States went smoothly. There were only a few minor hiccups that would have been nice to avoid: When we got to the RER station early this morning to catch the train to the airport we discovered that none of the automatic teller machines was working […]
Strasbourg – Street food!
I may have been disappointed with the shops in the marchés de noel, but I was more than happy with the street food options that we found. The day was cold — much colder that we’d had in Paris all week — and we were nervous about staying warm through the day. Turns out there […]
Strasbourg – Marchés de Noël
When I was in Strasbourg at Christmastime in 2000, I fell in love with its marché de noel. Clustered in little chalet-style huts at the foot of the cathedral, you could get all sorts of wonderful crafts and decorations. I particularly liked the Russian Santa Clauses and the German smoking Santa Clauses (at least one of which is […]
Strasbourg – Christmas in Strasbourg
Strasbourg claims to be the capital of Christmas — and boy, does it go all out! The city center is decked out in lights, decorations and general Christmas cheer. It’s delightful but, on the first day of the season (which is when we visited), it’s also absolutely packed with people. I haven’t seen so many […]
Strasbourg – Promenade en ville
Strasbourg is a beautiful city. As you can see from the architecture, it’s much more Germanic in flavor. After getting off the train, Amanda and I explored the city and soaked up the atmosphere. It had been eleven years since the last time I was in Strasbourg, and it was wonderful to see it and recognize it […]
Strasbourg – Cathedral
The Strasbourg cathedral may not be the biggest or the most famous cathedral, but it’s the only one that consistently takes my breath away every time I see it. It’s tower is visible from a distance as you approach the city, but, because the buildings of the medieval city cluster closely around it, you don’t see it again […]
Strasbourg – TGV
Jaron, this post is for you: On our last day in France, we took a day trip to Strasbourg, which is on the eastern side of the country, very near the German border. Strasbourg is about 280 miles from Paris, and in the car or a normal train, the trip would normally take more than four hours. We didn’t want to […]
Paris, Day 5 – Opera Bastille: Cendrillon
The Cendrillon that we saw performed at the Bastille Opera House tonight ranks among my favorite performances ever. I knew I would like the music (I’d heard it a few years ago when I saw the Kirov ballet perform it), but I hadn’t known what to expect from Nureyev’s choreography: He set the story in 1930s […]
Paris, Day 5 – Foodie Crawl
How should you spend your last full day in Paris? You could (A) go shopping at the flea market; (B) cram in a few more of the must-see churches and museums; or (C) abandon your plans to do the foregoing in favor of tracking down the most delicious delicacies in the city. We chose option C. Eric Kayser BoulangerieKnown for bread and pastries. […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 