Strasbourgeois.

 So I went to Strasbourg this past weekend (not to be confused with Strasburg, PA...sorry Shannon).  And boy did I love it!

It was so great getting out of the huge city of Paris with the unpleasant Parisians and experiencing a completely different side of France.  The people were SO friendly!  Sarah had a friend who lives there that she met in college, so we got together with her for lunch one day and she and her other friend walked us around the city and told us about some of the historical things that (shockingly enough) Rick Steves failed to mention in his TWO PAGES concerning the beautiful city of Strasbourg.

For example: notice the differences between the wood work underneath the windows in these pictures:

 
 The ones in the first photo have like one piece of wood that is standing straight up on its end under each window.  The second photo, however, has a cross made out of wood and it's carved ornately.  This means that the people who live/lived here were much more wealthy.

Also, houses that you see that have the wood on the outside walls (as all the ones pictured in both of these pictures do) are moveable.  That is to say that they can be taken apart and moved farther out of town if someone doesn't want to live right in the city center anymore.  I don't remember why that is an option, but the houses are considered "mobilier."  Usually "mobilier" applies to furniture because you can move it around your "immeuble" (house or apartment).  But in this case the house can be moved too, so you can call it "mobilier."  Interesting, non?

Strasbourg is also famous for its Christmas markets.  So we went to aaallll of them and had vin chaud (mulled wine), jus d'orange chaud au miel (hot orange juice with honey), crêpes au caramel (caramel crêpes) and lots of marrons chauds (roasted chestnuts....which are amazing).  It was definitely a gastronomically wonderful weekend.

So anyway, here are a few more fotos that I took this weekend.  Enjoy!

Walking across the bridge between Germany and France.

 Huge tree in one of the squares in Strasbourg.

The haunting yet beautiful cathedral of Strasbourg.

 Trying to find where we are while at one of the Christmas markets.

The whole city was decorated for Christmas.

 Cathedral at night.

 Morning at our hostel in Kehl, Germany.

 Santa band.

 Delicious authentic Strasbourg meal of three meats cooked with Riesling wine and potatoes.  Super good.

Sorry the spacing is kind of messed up.

Anyway, it was a great weekend.  I'm exhausted and am already in bed (even though it's only 8:30 Paris time, haha).  Special thanks to Alex who, being the only one capable of driving a stick, drove both ways like a champ.  Well done, sir, well done.

11 days till Christmas!