Strasbourg: France??

    After Germany, we were supposed to head to Switzerland, but it was a full days drive and we wanted to find something to do on the way. After realizing that we were only twenty minutes from the border of France, we decided to head to the city of Strasbourg and see what France had to offer. Admittedly, Strasbourg was still a very German city due to its proximity to Germany. I think that the name is a little telling, but all that aside, it was fun to visit a country we weren't intending to, and we did enjoy some delicious French cuisine. 

We visited the Notre Dame Cathedral. Not the popular one, the other Notre Dame.
This was mama and papa's first introduction to European cities, and I think that they were
as awe struck as I was upon setting first setting eyes on a colossal gothic cathedral.

Mama bought some macarons. She was really excited because
she has spent years perfecting macarons at home. These were the only 
macarons I've had that compared with my moms. They were delicious.



   One of the best secrets France had to offer was Creme Brulee. (It wasn't really a secret, but it was a secret to me.) We wanted to know what the hype was about and OH MY GOODNESS, it was amazing. It was one of the best deserts I've ever had. The warm crunch top with the cold smooth cream inside was such a satisfying combination. I've never eaten a desert so slowly. I was trying to savor every bite. I still think about that Creme Brulee quite often. 

   One of the fun parts about being with my parents was the food. When I travel with my friends, we try to cook as much of our food as possible, and when we do eat, we eat cheap. But my parents wanted to try all of the local cuisines and so I got to too. I didn't really realize how much fun it would be to try different cuisines until I did it and now I recognize that its something I should try and budget for in the future!

   After France, we headed to Zurich. Papa wanted to see the church where the reformer Zwingli preached and monument erected there to honor him. Well, we putzed around Zurich for a very long time until we realized the monument was behind a bunch of scaffolding. The whole, "closed, bad weather, under construction" stuff was definitely becoming a theme of our trip. 

Overall, Zurich was the ugliest and grayest European city I've ever been too. I wouldn't go back. Since Switzerland is such a rich country, I was expecting something a bit more... flamboyant from one of its most popular cities. 

The most color I saw in Zurich






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