We took a train from Stuttgart one Friday evening in April across the border of Germany to Strasbourg, France. Besides its annual wine fair, Strasbourg is best known for being the home of Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg invented the printing press and called Strasbourg home for 10 years in the 1400’s. We stayed in the Hotel Gutenberg near Place Gutenberg, the main square. Strasbourg is a charming, small medieval city. It has an immense Cathedral, a big university, and a river. Also many beautiful canals, bridges, trees, flowers, half-timbered houses, and best of all, CHEESE!
There are several large, impressive churches in Strasbourg, but our first glimpse of the Cathedral took our breath away. It is especially beautifully lit up at night, with a stunning Rose Window. A sight to behold.
After admiring the nighttime Cathedral view, we found The Dubliner – a college bar atmosphere in an Irish pub. (University of Strasbourg was founded in the 16th century and has an enrollment of 45k+ undergraduates.) Not a great Guinness pour, but we tried a delicious Fischer, the local beer. The Dubliner has a happy atmosphere, nice people, good food, and excellent service.
The next day, after a morning walk around to see the sights, we experienced a cheese tasting at La Cloche à Fromage. This was infinitely more fun and interesting than we expected! The servers are very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their cheeses. We tasted 24 cheeses ranging from creamy and mild to stinky and – to our unsophisticated palates – very gross. Of course, we had to have wine to go with our cheese and the staff helped us with pairing. We highly recommend this experience and recommend making a reservation.
Our night ended with wonderful meals at Aux Armes de Strasbourg, a café with red checkered tablecloths right on the main square. We love this café! We both had fabulous meals: Beef Stew with amazing roasted potatoes, and Veal and Chicken in a cream sauce with pastry and noodles. Accompanied, of course, by a carafe of local Pinot Noir – delicious. The servers here are fun, and food and drinks come out quickly.
While it was a cold, rainy, snowy weekend, we had a fantastic time. We came away with some interesting photos and a better appreciation for wine and cheese. One of our favorite trips in our first year of traveling from our new life in Germany.
Santé
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