Alsace-Lorraine

One of the delights of my trip was spending some time in the Alsace region of Alsace-Lorraine. I distinctly remember my mother telling me years ago that her relatives had come from Alsace-Lorraine. At the time I had no idea what that meant but I discovered that the border regions of Alsace and Lorraine have been fought over for centuries by both France and Germany. In the 20th century, French troops entered Alsace-Lorraine at the end of the World War I in November 1918 and the territory reverted to France at the Treaty of Versailles of 1919. The area was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1940, but reverted to France in 1945 at the end of World War II and has remained a part of France since. So much for your history lesson! For me, traveling through the Alsace region was like re-visiting parts of my childhood – particularly in the food and the kinds of “stuff” (dare I say “kitsch”) that was seen in the stores and windows… There is a quaint beauty in this area, which is easily seen in the three pictures below, taken in the village of Eguisheim. I was so thankful to have this opportunity to explore this region.

Mount Sainte-Odile

Mount St. Odile, part of the Vosges mountain range is covered by lush forests. At the top, there is the famous convent of Saint Odile, which can be seen from quite a distance. According to the legend, the first born child of the Duke of Alsace under King Dagobert II was a girl called Odilie, who was born blind. As he expected a son, her mother gave Odilie to the midwife, to protect the baby from the father’s anger. Odilie grew up in a convent and at the age of 12, she was baptized. During the baptism, she miraculously gained her eyesight. She was given the name Odilia, daughter of light. Through continuous prayers, she is said to have rescued the soul of her cruel father from the purgatory.
We stayed an evening at the convent – a stunningly beautiful and peaceful place!

The sunset out of my window at the convent at Mount Sainte-Odile

Strasbourg

This is the Catholic Cathedral in Strasbourg - a stunning building that can be seen from the surrounding countryside. Parts of the building were built around 1190; most of it was completed by the early 1400s. There is not a lot of space right around the building so it is difficult to get a sense of the big picture (except for the aerial views that are in the booklet I bought!).

Some Thoughts on European Train Travel

Note: this was written on Friday, June 13 on the train from Zurich to Strasbourg, France.
As I walked into the large central Zurich train station (HB) today on my way out of town, I uttered the words softly to myself, "I love this station!" It is full of life and vitality: it has lots of shops that are open when other stores have long closed in the city; grocery stores close early in Switzerland so if you need eggs or wine or bread, a quick trip to the Zurich HB or a stop in between trains will meet more than your transportation needs. The station is quite busy with almost 60 tracks carrying people all over the city, country and to other places in Europe. After spending so much time on the European trains (in Belgium, France and Switzerland), I have come to love the smooth, quiet, fast ride and on-time efficiency of this system - it is so much less stressful than flying - and so much more comfortable - to say nothing of the opportunity to actually see the country instead of flying over it! I have heard that the Italian trains are less efficient and I know from experience that British trains are not particularly quiet or smooth, but I am grateful to have this wonderful experience.