Watch our for Flying McFleury

Our little road trip away from Paris has been an adventure!! On Monday morning, the seven of us took off in two small cars to the city of Colmar. It was a 7-hour scenic drive through grenery and the Vosges mountains. We went all the way to the Rhin river, the border between Germany and France. This land between the Vosges mountains and Rhin river was sought after by both the French and Germans for years. The Germans claimed their border was the Vosges mountains while the French claimed it was the Rhin river. France actually lost this territory, the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine during the World Wars. Because of this dispute, many of the cities in this stretch of land have German names and you can see lots of German influence.

We went just over the border on Monday night for a dinner in Germany. Dr. Erickson wanted us all to get blood sausage and sourkraught but none of us were too keen on that idea. Instead, I ordered some delicious egg plant with a sauce of hamburger and cheese on top and oven baked potatoes on the side. It was delicious. Being a German meal, it actually seemed more filling than the crepes and salads we have been eating in France. But, like in France, asking for a To-Go box for leftover food is forbidden. Warming food up in the microwave the next day is seen as an insult to the chef. We all ended up finishing our dinners and even got gourmet ice creams for dessert. (I think I have had some sort of ice cream every day since I arrived in France over a week ago.) I was very full when I left Germany, but it was worth it.

Tuesday morning was spent discovering the Ville de Colmar. It was very cute and quaint. The 5 of us younger ones in the group (all late 20s) ran off to take pictures in the fountains, explore the markets and try to rent canoes or bikes, while the two older ones (Dr. Erickson and Agnes, in their late 50s tire more easily) wanted to see some war museums or sit on a park bench and rest. It was lots of fun. Dan is the only single guy in our group, so he took pictures with Ali and me, the two single girls, dancing under the Gazebo. It was tons of fun. They have a Little Venice there, so we went to put our names on the list to take the boats out. However, when we walked in to buy tickets at 11:00, the stereotypical French lady looked us up and down and said there were no open times until 1:30. We had plans to leave the city by 1:00 with the others, so we tried to explain our situation. On the whiteboard she was using, we saw that she could have fit us in. But unlike Americans who are out to make the next dollar, she didn't really care. This was her business and she didn't want to help us for whatever reason. She didn't budge. I tried to explain that this was our only chance to take the boats, and she said, "1:20" in an even more stern voice. We left to do some window shopping instead, and tried to remind ourselves that she was purely French and oh well that we missed it.

We saw some other small villages yesterday on our way to Strasbourg. Strasbourg was originally considered the Capital of Europe. It is rich in culture and atmosphere. I talked to an ice cream shop owner about that exact thing last night. He said that the people here are upset that they are named the capital of Europe when the government is doing nothing to help them out. They just got a TGV, super fast French train, station built here last year. He said Obama visited Strasbourg a few months ago (they love bringing up Obama once they hear I am American) and was let down by how far it has to go before it becomes a huge bustling city.

It has been a fun visit for us. We went out last night and saw some traditional German folk musicians all dressed up and playing in the town square. This morning, we took a huge tour boat tour of the city that lasted almost two hours. It was tons of fun. Afterwards, I got a McFleurry at McDonalds. It is my favorite thing at the McDonalds here. They added a crushed European candybar and chocolate. Mmmmm!!! I walked up to the balcony of my 4th floor hotel room to enjoy a soft breeze, delicious ice cream and a perfect view of the city. Sadly, after I had only eaten half of the McFleurry, a huge gust of wind came up and blew it off the balcony!!! Can you believe it? I couldn't see exactly where it fell, but I hope it didn't fall on the people who were walking down below. Oops. I guess I will have to get another one later today.

Tomorrow we are going to a chocolate factory and chocolate history museum not far from here. I love factories!! I had to beg Dr. Erickson to go. He is more keen on the war museums but we like factories and lively things. He said he will do what the group wants to do. He has been a super nice director for us to work with. He reminds us that we are doing assignments here for our grad credits, so everywhere I go, I take pictures of the French...French with their dogs, homeless people, old ladies biking around, bakery workers.... I will try to post them soon.