-Alsace! Vendredi-

Ah, what a beautiful weekend!  If I didn't think Paris was dirty and full of pigeons before, I certainly do after getting outside of it for a bit.  Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the culture of Paris, but Strasbourg is simply more picaresque.  I shall recount all three days in separate posts, so my three loyal readers (one of which is me) don't have to suffer through one ginormous post.

My journey began early vendredi (Friday) morning, asleep on a tour bus with a group of students from Kansas.  While mandatory for them, I was the only American University student who elected to go.  Our first stop was the Palais de l'Europe, building of the Conseille de l'Europe (Council of Europe) and not to be confused with the European Council of the EU.  That building is about a block away.  But the Council of Europe and our tour with Mr. Mancini taught me a lot about how there are multiple European institutions working to better different parts of Europe.  They do a lot of work helping countries (especially those petitioning to join the EU) truly become democratic, which is a requirement for EU countries.  The building isn't pretty outside, but it is shaped angularly, like the base of a pyramid, to signify the strength and continuing growth of Europe.

Dinner was as cheesy as the Council of Europe's 70s carpet and decor.  Following a walking tour around the best part of Strasbourg, I dined with some of the Kansas girls at Flam's: an affordable joint for tarte flambé.  This is a (delicious) regional specialty: tortilla-esque bread, topped with cream, cheese, onions and on mine goat cheese, bacon, and honey.  It was called the chevre-miel (goat cheese-honey).

The journey home was amusing.  It's important to note that none of the Kansas peeps spoke any French, and so I was a major resource.  However, following the lead of 1 obnoxious girl after dinner, the Kansas contingent headed off in the wrong direction.  Only one girl agreed with me, and after I asked a nice old man to make sure we were going the right way, we were quickly back at the hotel.  And I am proud to say we sat smugly in the lobby until the rest of the group finally made their way back, much later.  Ah, victory was almost as sweet as having my own hotel room...