New Year / Next Day

19 September 2009

Its been a couple days since I've written, which may seem like an eternity for you (Mom...;>) ), but its been quick for me. It is actually a positive occurance that I'v enot had the time to sit in front of my computer and write - that means I'm out in the real world livin gmy wonderful new life, now in the sweet new year of 5770!

Quick Note: My travel schedule has changed... I leave for Munich from Strasbourg on the 23, come back to grab my things from P&L's apt on the 27, then take an overnight train to Toulouse, arriving on the 28. Valentin will grab me at the train station and take me to the Foyer des Jeunes Travailleurs where I have a reservation until the 5th of October. I WILL find an apartment by then - 18 euros per night is just not efficient.

Yesterday, the 18, I took another looong walk... taking the term 'self-guided-tour' to a new level... 4 hours! I did the west half of town this time, stopping by the universities, the botanic garden, and then ultimately finding the Orangerie : http://www.jardinorangerie.fr/ (to which my sore feet would make their way again later that night - luckily by car). The long walk back took me through the citadel park also.

Lionel, Perrine and I went to Thomas and Dianne's apartment for dinner where we met up with Xavier and Ludovic for a relatively quick meal, we were there for only an hour and 45 minutes, before heading over to the Orangerie bowling alley. Its nice to know that I'm not the only person in the world who's average bowling score is 75. Xavier won both rounds with a score of 104 and 107; I came in 3rd and 4th.



20 September 2009



Post didn't go out yesterday as I was hoping, I didn't have time to add my photos before it was time to be on the go again!

Sooooo... Yesterday was pretty interesting, it involved a strong drink before noon, a concentration camp, French Mexican food, and Perrine's friends not believing me when I told them that chili peppers really ARE hot!

Perrine had to go to work yesterday till two, so Lionel and I started the day off right with one and a half chocolate pastries from Paul each, and a coffee. We then hopped on the tram and passed by the train station so I could purchase the remaining tickets I needed for Munich. We were supposed to meet Ludo (Ludovic), Dianne, and Tomy (Thomas) for lunch at the same Kugelhopf place where Lionel, his brother, and I ate last Saturday, at 12:45; it was only 11:50. Lionel proposed we stop by a local rhumerie for a couple tropical drinks before we meet up with the others, and I said why not... my drink was much stronger than any American Daiquiri I've ever had! Lunch was fun, but what happened after dessert was better: shoes.

I came to France without a pair of everyday, walking around, black shoes. So, upon entering the store next to the resto, a pair of shiny adidas caught my eye... it was love at first sight!

Struthof

22,000 people were killed here. It was not a large holding facility, but it did its part in the damage caused to many populations during WWII. At first, the facility was used mainly for holding people (many Jews and rebels of Alsace) and for performing experiments with Typhus, as well as autopsies on gas chamber victims. A few executions would happen every week, then every day, then two a day, until just before Alsace's liberation on the 22/23 of September, 1944. People were gassed, hung, shot, and killed by disease here, then autopsied and burned; their ashes were dumped into a mass pit at the bottom of the hill serving as the site of the camp.

But the most moving and powerful remain at this camp for me was not the holding cells, the oven, or the autopsy room, it was the barbed-wire fence surrounding the camp and its still-intact gate. To have entered through that gate, and to have the freedom to walk out as well, THAT is something truely incredible.

We finished off our day by heading back to P&L's place to cook dinner. Lionel had never made Mexican food before, and I found it too funny to see someone reading the directions on the back of the Old El Paso taco kit box so intently! I, and most people I know, can prepare tacos and burritos with their eyes closed, but then again, we have as many Taco Bells as we have McDonalds, nearly. There is not a market here for this sort of food, so I had trouble even finding the right ingredients for our meal (we ended up putting shredded swiss cheese on our tacos and fajitas). :>)

I made my salsa fresca with chilis, as there was not a jalapeno in sight, and the guys thought it would be a good idea to try eating the remaining chilis raw, and nearly whole! I used two chilis for the whole bowl of salsa... Xavier, Jeff, Tomy, and Perrine each ate half a chili pepper; they were all sweating and searching for the nearest drink.

We ate and started drinking around 9pm, then played cards and the dice game from Pirates of the Caribbean 2 till about 2am (when the neighbors started getting ticked that we were still making a ruckus out on the terrace).

Now, its Sunday morning, and I'm going to go make pancakes and hashbrowns for P&L!

(Pictures to come later)