UNESCO World Heritage

Way up North from where I spend most of my days, but so far East it borders Germany, is a tucked away town called Strasbourg.  

It's a city where gingham and hearts reign supreme and sourkroute sowerkroute sauerkraut and bratwurst are the local specialty. It's a city full of brown and white half-timbered houses in the Petite-France district with unevenly speckled shingle rooftops.

It was unlike anything I've ever seen. Before belonging to France, Strasbourg was part of Germany and that influence is visible around every corner. 

A relatively large city, Strasbourg is the capital and principal city in the Alsace Region of France.  Strasbourg is home to the official seat of the European Parliament and the Court of Human Rights. It is famously known for its sandstone Gothic Cathedral, which houses the first astronomical clock, and the renowned Maison Kammerzell restaurant is only a stones throw away. The River Ill runs right through the city and if you follow it long enough, the Petite-France districts comes out of nowhere and you can't do anything but stop and take it all in. 

I arrived around 10 on Friday morning, checked into my hotel and immediately climbed the 330 steep, winding steps to the very top of the Cathedral for the most incredible rooftop view of the city. On clear & sunny days, they say you can see the Black Forrest of Germany. I took a glass-top boat ride down the River Ill for a different perspective of the town. I toured the Alsace Museum, rented a bicycle, and ate my way through this magical city. 

On Saturday morning, I hopped on the tgv for a half day trip to the neighboring village of Colmar, where its La Petite Venise district is the closest I'll come to the real thing on this journey...but hey, I'm all for a good reason to come back to Europe! 

It was the perfect getaway weekend to see something opposite the typical Provence scenery. I have just 13 days of my internship left and only 2 more weekends. I head to Rome for the first, and the second I'll be packing up the apartment I've called home for 6 months before heading to London, where at Christmas was surprised to learn my mom will join me. 

So until my feet are back on American soil, I'm going to soak in the time remaining and reflect on how thankful and blessed I am to have had this season of life! 

Here's a flashback to my weekend in Alsace...

 SO MUCH GINGHAM. SO MANY HEARTS. 

Yeah...this happened. Life's too short to be embarrassed, right?

 The Petite France District 

Here's a glimpse into the coldest day of my life spent in Colmar...

Antibes

Things have been rather slow here lately, but that's about to change. Yesterday was the 1st on my list of last adventures in Europe before arriving back at the JAN International Airport on March 4th (two days earlier than planned, not that I'm complaining). 

I've been mapping out my last weekends and on Saturday I took the tgv two and half hours down the coast to a city nestled between Cannes and Nice known as Antibes. 

It was a pretty big city with even bigger and better views of the sea, which I can't seem to get enough of. The weather warmed up a bit and the sun made a rare appearance making for a beautiful day. 

The city center was full of short, winding alleyways and my beloved cobblestone streets. It's also the first place I've ever been to where you can see people lying on the beach to the left and snow covered mountain tops to the right. 

Antibes is home to the Picasso Museum and since I'm never opposed to a bit of cultural enrichment and art appreciation, I spent about an hour looking at some of his collection from the time he spent living there. The rooftop terrace of his former home and studio also gave the best view of the old city and the Mediterranean. 

I don't think I'll have time to make another trip to the sea, but it was a lovely and leisurely day! The next few weekends I'll be on the go and I'm truly looking forward to it. For me, it's Strasbourg, Rome, and London...the perfect conclusion to this season in my life.  

But back to Antibes...