Strasbourg

We took two cars into Strasbourg. With six children and four adults, it was the best way to travel. We started on the autobahn and then detoured into the countryside for a bit, even stopping in a small town for a potty break at a local grocery store. What a window into daily life grocery stores can be!  But, let me back up, I had an amazing chocolate croissant with a hazelnut topping for breakfast yesterday...even German pastries are to die for!

So, we made it into town, and I've decided I couldn't drive here. God bless my sister in law for her navigational skills and steely nerves. Narrow streets are beautiful, as long as you aren't driving on them!

The cobblestone streets, the oh so cool huge wooden doors, the architecture...it had the five of us rubber necking all the way to the cathedral and the Christmas market around it.  We had lunch once we got to the stalls. Pizza....but French pizza!  Very good, hot and yummy in the cool air. The kids had theirs with chorizzo and Scott and I had mushroom. Then we went through the cathedral. It was such a treat to see the looks of amazement on my kids' faces and the sheer excitement in Scott's eyes. If you weren't aware, my husband is an architect.

Notre Dame de Strasbourg is a beautiful church. We walked in, blessed ourselves and walked around in silence soaking up the history inside that building. The tapestries are incredible...the pulpit is incredible, the astronomical clock is incredible. We all had different favorite aspects. We took loads of pictures inside, but I haven't uploaded anything yet. When I go into an old church like that a few things cross my mind. It makes me feel my Catholicism in a different way, a connection to the past that spans the globe. I think of all the people who have been in the church and their stories. I always wonder as I walk around, who else walked here? Why were they here? What were they feeling? The building is so awesome, the stories that happened within it are for me just as appealing.  

After the cathedral we visited all the Christmas market stalls....even bought a small handcarved angel for Matt. She thought we were German...not American....pretty funny. Guess my brother's warnings about how to dress were spot on.

We had some vin chaud as we looked at all the stalls and their handicrafts. Saw some neat street performers and Julia scoped out the French boys. She is on a mission to have a picture taken with a hot French boy! Her aunt and I  found one, but she was too shy to ask for a photo with him!    

Abbey wants new clothes, her green North Face jacket screams that she is not French, and ever the clothes horse, she wants a new wardrobe now! Black coat, black boots and tight black jeans with an awesome scarf....she may sneak out before we head to Paris to buy new things for herself. I told her I liked the green coat as I could spot her a mile away!  

Matt's eyes were as big as plates all day...he just keeps telling me how cool everything is. "Mom, we're in France, this is so cool!"

Scott said he could have stayed in the church for three days and still not inspected everything. 

I just keep thinking about how fortunate we are to have been able to give this trip to our children and to ourselves. In one day, the kids have seen somethings that many people never have the chance to see.  And we've just started!