I realised I have not travelled abroad since the pandemic, so I was excited to have a reason for an adventure. My son recently moved to Strasbourg, and it’s a straightforward journey via train (on paper at least!) so I had booked a short trip to go and see him and his partner in their new home. My daughter-in-law is from the west coast of France and she’s had a lot of the trailblazing to do in order to get them settled, and I was looking forward to providing some support and reassurance for their new life.
I managed to get the earlier train to London which gave me time to have a bite to eat at St Pancras International before heading for the Eurostar. I realised I hadn’t left myself enough time to get from Gare du Nord to Gare de l’Est so while I ate my bowl of soup at St Pancras I had a minor panic, but was able to rearrange my connection without a problem, although it was expensive to take a train at peak time: gosh.
The train was busy but smooth, and although we arrived in Paris on time, it took a while to disembark and navigate my way from coach 17 to the exit, and then find my way to the other station in the dark and rain, and work out which was my train. The train to Strasbourg was the direct, high speed TGV to Stuttgart, and helpfully the announcements were in German, English and French. The conductor seamlessly flipped between the languages and seemed to be able to tell the nationality just by looking at us. Travelling at nearly 200mph, we reached Strasbourg in under 2 hours, and I arrived to see my very damp son waiting for me in the concourse.
Strasbourg has a fantastic (and relatively new) tram system, and it makes travelling around the city so pleasant, although I still find it disconcerting to just cross the tracks if you find yourself on the wrong platform. We arrived at the pizza restaurant and met Camille, and enjoyed a delicious range of plant-based pizzas; France isn’t known for its accommodation of vegans but Strasbourg is very cosmopolitan being near the German border and primarily a tourist town thanks to the Christmas markets, and consequently animal-free eateries and options are relatively well-regarded.
Returning to their flat, I sank on to the comfy sofa bed and melted in a tired heap.
The next day dawned bright and sunny, and I made myself a cup of tea in a saucepan – neither Tristan nor Camille drink tea or coffee so they don’t have a kettle. Given that there was no water that morning due to the pipes being dug up outside, we headed off promptly for breakfast. It was a cold but glorious morning – especially after the driving rain of the previous day – and the city is absolutely beautiful. The trams mean very few cars and not too many bikes. I adore the shutters and doors and little windows in all the buildings, and the river Rhine gives a structure and flow to the city.
After a sustaining breakfast we headed off to some more of my son’s favourite haunts. We walked through La Place de la République where 4 huge gingko trees stand majestically in each quarter of the central circular gardens. I love gingko trees, and the bright egg-yolk yellow foliage looked incredible in the low winter sun.
On our way back from lunch we stopped at the University’s botanical garden. There are some amazing pine trees, including the Wollemia nobilis which was absolutely enchanting. I find ancient trees deeply fascinating and was able to point out the amazing attributes to Tristan and Camille. I home-educated my children so my son is used to my enthusiasm on all things nature-oriented, and Camille listened to my waxing lyrical about plants with her usual generous spirit. The tropical greenhouse was fantastic: the heat and humidity were slightly bizarre given the subzero temperature outside but I was in heaven.
We returned to the flat for a brief rest before heading out again to the local arts centre to listen to a wonderful concert by the Strasbourg Philamonic Orchestra. Having walked 18,000 steps, I was ready to sink gratefully into the soft cushions of the sofa bed…
The next day was very clear and cold, with snow forecast for later in the day. Last November I bought my son a houseplant for his birthday, and of course he had to leave it here in the UK when he moved to France. I promised to replace it for his birthday this year, so we went to a gorgeous shop and purchased him a new plant friend.
I then said my goodbyes and headed for my train home. I can’t wait to go back!
Sounds like a lovely visit, there’s something very refreshing about immersing oneself in a differnt culture and Strasbourg is a very interesting place.
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Yes, I had no idea it was so beautiful!
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