Strasbourg, France and then home to friends!

Today we got to go to our third country on our trip through Germany, to France!  It was filled with enchanting architecture, delicious pastries, and rain.  Sadly, it rained most of the time we were in the old city of Strasbourg in Alsace region, but it never seemed to affect our excitement in being in a new country. 

We arrived in France with our rain coats on and umbrellas open and began walking toward the cathedral.  Every corner we turned seemed to make our jaws drop even more in awe as one site was more beautiful than another.   We came upon the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg with its Gothic architecture and high ceilings, detailed interior along with multi-colored stain-glassed windows.  We walked through the church admiring all the statutes and other art works but the astronomical clock was my favorite.  All the different zodiac signs lined the rim of this large clock with the solar system in the middle showing how all the signs lined up with our sky. 

We then went on a boat tour through the canals of this marvelous city.  Though it was raining, you could still make out the buildings of Strasbourg through our glass-covered board, listening to random stories of the past.  The strangest story was heard was about a monk who got stuck in the frame of a window when there was a fire and caused the death of twenty people.  This was all because he could not fit through a window. 

After the boat tour we went to an Alsatian restaurant which had all our taste buds wanting even more though we were all full!  We ended our visit to France by walking through the town window shopping and laughing as the sun began to peer through the lurking gray clouds. 

We returned to school where we met our host families and returned to their homes.  There Breadwoman (Deborah) and I played board games and ate chocolate until neither of us could keep our eyes open any longer.  It is sad to think we have to leave but today made me realize that I will definitely come back so I can see all the new friends I have made along with the ones I have made stronger bonds with and to visit all the sites I have seen and see more of the wonderful country of Germany and its neighboring nations.   

Eliana