Monday, April 12, 2010

Strasbourg, France - A great break just 1.5 hours away









Finally I have time to blog and get my photos in order :) So our Easter was spent in Strasbourg, France which is pretty close to Stuttgart. We decided to take it slow and easy, so only packed on Friday and arrived at 5pm on the same day.

I wanted to go on a short getaway because my dear hubby has been working so hard. It's hard to be self-employed when one can always work and the dividing line between work and free-life becomes blurred. Hence, in order to get him to stop working (literally), I booked ourselves for a 3days-2-night short break.

Alright, the only drawback about this trip was our less-than-satisfactory hotel. We booked it according to tripadvisor.com and it was sooo bad! It was unjustly rated at #2 out of 90 over hotels in Strasbourg and we felt soooo ripped off! Please don't ever go there, Hotel Du Dragon.

The famous Cathedral in Strasbourg. Love this shot that captured the mini-dom in the background too! We didn't bother to go up the stairs of this Cathedral....too tired and lazy. Hah.
My sweetie and his act "tao" expression. How do you like his trenchcoat?
Now, tell me if you see a difference between this Cathedral and the one in Ulm (here). I'm beginning to understand why people say that buildings in Europe look similar after a while.
I like the contrast between old architectural buildings and the modern tram
In front of some beautiful building next to the river.
Like this artistic shot. I find that cities with a river running through them always have this romantic, French-feel about them.

























Fachwerkhäuser - There's German architecture for you. Strasbourg lies on the border between Germany and France. Hence, in the past, it used to be the pawn whenever one country wins / loses a war. Atlast, France won the last war, so now Strasbourg is officially French. Not that I'm complaining, but if only people speak a language other than French there! You would think they would be able to speak German, since they are so close to the border? But NO.... When it comes to their language, I think you won't find any other types of people who are more proud of their language than the French! 

























Interesting bare trees. If we do come back in late spring, hubby says the trees will be green. That's why we took a photo of them now.


























In front of a mega-huge shopping complex. There are so many quirky stores at every nook and cranny that makes shopping fun here! While Stuttgart is really modern and all, esp. since its a relatively-new city, Strasbourg is pretty old. There's a nice mix of modern as well as traditional and old buildings. We found some parts of the city quite dirty too with really bad streets. Somehow it reminded me a lot of Italy.





















Overall, we had a great time! Mainly for me! Cos I got to shop! hahah. My "Fashion Consultant", Tina told me that I had to go to this store "Naf Naf" so there I went. They were having a sale so I bought myself another trench coat for more than 50% off and a cardigan. Look at the look of satisfaction on my face!

























This is in Le Petite, France (Miniature France). Our hotel was pretty close to this area. That day we were there, it rain and the sun came out like 4 times in one day! That's April's weather for you here.

























Finally one couple shot! But of course it had to blur! Still, its better than nothing!
Do you notice some famous icon on the bottom right? Clue: His name starts with a "C". He's real btw.
One of the rare moments when the sun was shining. This building was on the left of the pix just above it.
Left: French Bakery. I so missed my fruit tarts, Mille Feuille! Sadly enough, when we wanted to buy some back to Germany, most of the bakeries were closed and the only ones opened didn't sell them anymore! Paris here I come!





















Random shots of buildings that took to my liking.
Extreme right: Don't you think that reminds you of the restaurant "Ratatouille"??? Except that you have a picture of a mouse instead of 2 cooks?





















Pretzels and Sauerkraut! This is how you know you're not far from Germany!





















Came across this ice-cream parlour near the Cathedral. Great choice to go there!
What do you do in France except kissing? I love the angle of this photo! Ok, this is a bad angle for me, but isn't it great that I managed to capture the German-looking buildings in Le Petite, France.

11 comments:

Steph said...

Awesome pics ! Makes me want to go again as last time I was there was in 1996 while backpacking and never been with JC but alas so far for us from Nice, must take airplane ! Naf Naf is one of my fav shops too ;)

Pris said...

Wow Steph! Your comment was sooo quick! :) Yeah, it is far from Nice, cos its near to us mah! hahah. I think the have Naf Naf in Singapore right?

Steph said...

Dont know abt Naf Naf in Spore, I never buy french brands in Spore and only shop local ;)

Pris said...

Hey Steph, yah I don't buy foreign brands normally in Singapore either - even though some of them are supposed to be cheaper. I know my MAC. is cheaper in Singapore.

I think I sorta remember seeing Naf. Naf in Singapore.

Tina said...

Hihihi I am the shopping consultant! Ha, I told you Naf Naf is such a great shop! I would wear everything they sell, cos it is so nice and totally my style. Am so exited to see your purchases :)

Pris said...

Hey dear Tina! :) Yeah! You're my fashion consultant! So lovely that you popped by my blog! My trench coat is nice but a bit thin though. So have to wait till its warmer to use it!

Anonymous said...

Love MAC too but it's american so might be cheaper export to Asia than Europe, hence cheaper ?

Pris said...

Hey Anonymous
I don't really know why MAC is cheaper in Asia. I reckon its because if its too expensive in Asia, people won't buy it???

I've checked that MAC. is definitely cheaper in Singapore. Still, make up is something I don't need regularly, so I can wait for my annual trip to Singapore to buy it.

Beau Lotus 涟 said...

I used to wear alot of Kookai and Naf Naf when I was younger and living in Paris.

I super love Strasbourg, when we were living in Stuttgart we used to visit about once a month. They have great food, pastries, amazing boutiques and I love its architecture. Did you take the cruise? It's worth taking it at least once.

Strasbourg and its region is also very very French, my French teacher at NUS who is from Colmar is an example. I remember him telling us that. :-)

Glad to see that you and Beanie had a well-deserved break.

Pris said...

Hey Serene!

Oh wow, you're a big fan of Strasbourg? I can't believe it took me such a long time to visit that place! Its pretty nice! Can't wait to visit it with nice weather!

We haven't taken the cruise. I think the weather just wasn't good enough. But perhaps the next time.

You wouldn't think Strasbourg would be "very" French since they are quite close to Germany. But I guess perhaps that might be the reason why they are particularly French eh? Preservation of their culture.

Anonymous said...

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