• Alex und das Fernweh

City trip to Strasbourg

I had actually planned to go to Strasbourg with a friend back in 2021, but then a virus got in the way — and after that, life happened. So this year, I decided to go alone and take a short trip to explore the city. Read more
  • Trip start
    February 28, 2025

    My first solo train journey

    February 28 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

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    My trip started off pretty chilly — but hey, it’s late February, what did I expect? What I didn’t expect was that my train would already be delayed leaving Münster. My heart definitely skipped a beat. I kept refreshing my phone, nervously checking if I’d still catch my connection. No time to waste in Mannheim!

    Then came the surprise twist: my connecting train was delayed too. The TGW was supposed to arrive about 30 minutes late, so I thought, “Okay, no big deal, I’m still good.” Little did I know, the previous TGW had actually been cancelled — and all those passengers got shoved onto my already crowded train. My reserved seat? Yeah, that was long gone.

    So there I was, standing in the train corridor for what felt like forever — an hour, maybe an hour and a half — just hoping to get to Strasbourg sooner rather than later.
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  • Starting the day sweetly

    March 1 in France ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    After a truly restful night, although the room is really a bit shabby, I first went to a French bakery after a brief bit of research.
    At La Gare' Mandise, I grabbed a croissant—typical for France. But it wasn’t just a regular butter croissant, it was something special. It’s called 'croissant aux framboises'.
    It was pink-striped and filled with raspberry. Super tasty! And since I’ve always wanted to try an éclair, I got one of those too. But that wasn’t really my thing—way too sweet. I probably should’ve just gotten a second croissant instead.
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  • From cross-border bridges to rainbows

    March 1 in France ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    Mit der Tram , ich kann ein 3 Tages-Ticket für alle öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel für nur ca. 10 Euro wärmstens empfehlen, ging es um die Mittagszeit zum 'Jardin des Deux Rives' . Hier kann man wirklich entspannen. Es ist schön ruhig und wer möchte dann über die Brücke der zwei Ufer' nach Deutschland spazieren.

    Der zweite Park der heute eins meiner Ziele war ist der 'Parc de l'Orangerie'.
    Auch ein sehr schöner Park zum Entspannen.
    Man kann in der Frühlingssonne sitzen, die Störche beobachten oder mit etwas Glück sogar einen Regenbogen sehen.

    With my 3-day ticket for just 10 euros, which I definitely recommend, I took the tram to the park 'Jardin des Deux Rivers'.
    It’s a nice, big, quiet park right by the water. Perfect if you’re into exercising — not really my thing though. But if you feel like it, you can just walk across the Bridge of the Two Banks and you’re instantly in Germany.
    The second park (Parc de l'Orangerie) I checked out today was another really nice, chill spot with lots of green. You can sit on a bench and watch the storks—there are loads of them. Or if you’re lucky and the sun’s in the right spot, you might see a rainbow over one of the fountains in the pond.
    I was pretty lucky!
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  • The sun an wintery temperatures

    March 2 in France ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    The next day, I got up early again—you want to make the most of your short time. The weather app didn’t show great temperatures, but there was sunshine, so layering was the way to go. As the saying goes: there’s no bad weather, only bad clothing.

    Getting up early definitely paid off. There were hardly any people around—neither locals nor tourists. And I was able to take beautiful photos of 'Strasbourger Münster'.

    Since I got a discounted ticket for a boat tour with my CityPass, I figured that’d be the next thing to do. Unfortunately, the boat had a roof—because of the cold weather. On the one hand, it was nice and warm inside, but on the other, it was hard to take decent photos because of the window reflections. Oh well, you can’t have everything. At least the audio guide was super informative.

    All warmed up, I headed on and took my lunch break on the Île, at a little restaurant under the oldest plane tree in town. This massive, beautiful tree stretched right over the terrace. I bet it’s super cool and shady there in the summer. But honestly, it just seemed like a really lovely spot overall—definitely one to check out when it’s warm out.

    With a classic Alsatian flammkuchen, it was a great way to enjoy the spring sunshine
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  • Politics - and a whole lot of stairs

    March 2 in France ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Caught the tram to the European Parliament on a gorgeous day, then strolled back to the old town along the river.
    Then I figured I hadn’t walked enough yet, so I decided to climb the cathedral tower. Loads of stairs, and the higher I got, the colder the wind—but the amazing view and sunshine made up for it. At times, I felt like the tower was shaking, but I’m pretty sure that was just my fear of heights messing with me.Read more

  • The early bird catches the worm

    March 3 in France ⋅ ☀️ 1 °C

    Woke up really early today to enjoy a quiet walk through Le Petit France before the tourists arrived.

    Of course, I had to try the famous ice cream from Gelato Amino that looks like a rose blossom. Really impressive ice cream art! You could pick as many flavors as you wanted—you just had to say if you wanted a large, medium, or small “flower.” I went for three flavors. It was delicious, but maybe a bit pricey.

    In the afternoon, I checked off the last item on my to-do list—I went to see the astronomical clock in Strasbourg Cathedral.

    Took one last walk along the Île and, in perfect weather, discovered some cool street art along the way.

    After three days in Strasbourg, I’ve gotta say, it’s a really great city. There’s something cool to spot around every corner—whether it’s those awesome old half-timbered houses or some modern buildings. You just can’t get enough of it.

    Gotta say, I love the tram. I think every city should have one. It makes getting from A to B so much easier, and you don’t have to rely on a car.

    If you’re into sweet pastries, France is definitely the place to be. I enjoy them now and then, but a lot of it was just too sweet for me. In the mornings, I’d rather have my typical cheese bread and eggs for breakfast—classic German style.
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  • Trip end
    March 4, 2025