Strasbourg

The direct train to Strasbourg was booked, so it took me 3 trains, and an extra hour to get to Strasbourg. When I first arrived, I was a little disappointed, to say the least. Lesson of the day: dont take first impressions from the area around the train station. My hostel wasnt much better. It was set back from the road by a campsite, and had gates and a barbed wire fence. To get in, you had to swipe your room key, or have the front desk ring you in. I didnt ask why the fence was necessary, I didnt really want to know...

The room was awful, and stuffy. Luckily, I had the room to myself....long story short, but my roommates didnt check in til 1030, when I was in bed and pretended to sleep when they couldnt get the door open. I should feel bad, but it was nice to have my own space for once.

Strasbourg is a slum(basically) outside of the downtown tourist area. However, the downtown area is lovely. A river cuts through the centre, where 16th and 17th century homes still line the edges of the river. The Cathedrale Notre Dame is a gorgeous, massive church that kind of looks like a fragile chocolate box on the outside. On the inside, they have a giant(enormous) working clock that is 200 years old, but still performs every day at noon.

I toured the Palais Rohan, which has been turned into a series of 3 different musuems, but was once home to Napoleon(cool). His rooms are still intact. Unfortunately, the city pretty much shuts down on the weekends, so after I had visited the church and the palace, I spent the afternoon lounging in the park and wandering around the edge of the river.

Apparently the city is lovely at night, but I wasnt prepared to make my way home in the dark, so I left the downtown at 8 and tucked in early.