One of the many things I am thankful for about my location in Zürich is the fact that I am only two hours by train from my dear friend Aurore, who is in Strasbourg. It is a huge blessing to have an old friend so close even when I am living in a new place and starting a new life. New friends are great, but old friends are comfortable and great!
On Friday I caught a 5 pm train, so I was in Strasbourg by 7 pm. Aurore met me at the platform, and we spent the evening attempting to cook Chicken Marsala. Of course, the small-ish grocery store near her flat was out of fresh mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and Marsala wine! We ended up making some sort of variation with chicken and wine and frozen mushrooms, but between grocery shopping and cooking and being ridiculous, we didn't end up eating dinner until 10.30 pm!
On Saturday we took an lovely hike in the Vosges, which is only 30 minutes from Strasbourg. The day was beautiful- sunny and almost 60 F! The weather was so nice that we had what I believe is my first pleasant outdoor picnic in February. Also, having not really seen the sun since arriving in Zürich, I was really happy to get a good dose of vitamin D!
First we hiked to the Chateau de Haut-Andlau, which is an old ruined castle in the middle of the forest. It was so cool to just sort of stumble upon a castle that was available for exploring (well, if one ignored all of the construction fences and signs about danger and mort and things; one usually does ignore these things...). Because of the restoration work we couldn't go around the whole ruins. There is something really bizarre about seeing a stone castle that was built in 1280 AD outfitted with solar panels, I can tell you that.
After the Haut-Andlau, we walked for a while to an overlook. I was amused by the French method of marking trails, which is by shapes and colors that are sometimes painted on rocks. The woods that we were in were really beautiful, which a lot of deep green moss.
After the lookout, we finished our hike at the Chateau de Spesbourg, which is another ruins in the Vosges. We could climb a little more around this one, as it wasn't being restored.
That evening, Aurore and I went to a dinner party with three of her friends. It is not very often that I go to a dinner party where I actually have no hope of pronouncing anyone's name correctly. Between Aurore, Quentin, Katerina and Pierre-Xavier, I was sunk! Me and French pronunciation are definitely still getting to know each other. But everyone was really nice, and it was fun to just see what a dinner party with French people looks like. That might sound weird, but I love seeing what life looks like in different places!
On Sunday, Aurore and I made oatmeal pancakes for brunch. We've decided to take turns teaching each other about cooking. Last time I visited, I learned how to make crepes and mousse, and this time I got to choose the dishes- chicken marsala and oatmeal pancakes! Not together, of course...
We spent the afternoon at the Orangerie in Strasbourg, which is basically a huge public park. Since the weather was again amazing, I think most of the rest of Strasbourg was out there with us. I've never seen playgrounds so crowded! The people watching was amazing. Strasbourg is definitely a more diverse city than Zürich, so there was always something unique to see. I really enjoyed the park. I just couldn't believe that it is February- and early February at that!
We ended up spending so much time at the park that I almost missed my train, and Aurore had to drive me frantically to the station. Thankfully I made my train and had an uneventful trip back. It was a lovely weekend!
On Friday I caught a 5 pm train, so I was in Strasbourg by 7 pm. Aurore met me at the platform, and we spent the evening attempting to cook Chicken Marsala. Of course, the small-ish grocery store near her flat was out of fresh mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and Marsala wine! We ended up making some sort of variation with chicken and wine and frozen mushrooms, but between grocery shopping and cooking and being ridiculous, we didn't end up eating dinner until 10.30 pm!
On Saturday we took an lovely hike in the Vosges, which is only 30 minutes from Strasbourg. The day was beautiful- sunny and almost 60 F! The weather was so nice that we had what I believe is my first pleasant outdoor picnic in February. Also, having not really seen the sun since arriving in Zürich, I was really happy to get a good dose of vitamin D!
First we hiked to the Chateau de Haut-Andlau, which is an old ruined castle in the middle of the forest. It was so cool to just sort of stumble upon a castle that was available for exploring (well, if one ignored all of the construction fences and signs about danger and mort and things; one usually does ignore these things...). Because of the restoration work we couldn't go around the whole ruins. There is something really bizarre about seeing a stone castle that was built in 1280 AD outfitted with solar panels, I can tell you that.
After the Haut-Andlau, we walked for a while to an overlook. I was amused by the French method of marking trails, which is by shapes and colors that are sometimes painted on rocks. The woods that we were in were really beautiful, which a lot of deep green moss.
On Sunday, Aurore and I made oatmeal pancakes for brunch. We've decided to take turns teaching each other about cooking. Last time I visited, I learned how to make crepes and mousse, and this time I got to choose the dishes- chicken marsala and oatmeal pancakes! Not together, of course...
We spent the afternoon at the Orangerie in Strasbourg, which is basically a huge public park. Since the weather was again amazing, I think most of the rest of Strasbourg was out there with us. I've never seen playgrounds so crowded! The people watching was amazing. Strasbourg is definitely a more diverse city than Zürich, so there was always something unique to see. I really enjoyed the park. I just couldn't believe that it is February- and early February at that!
We ended up spending so much time at the park that I almost missed my train, and Aurore had to drive me frantically to the station. Thankfully I made my train and had an uneventful trip back. It was a lovely weekend!
