All posts filed under: Blog

Riquewihr – in the Land of Fairy Tales

Published by Sula H.

We went back to France again. And back in time to the Middle Ages, just the same. What happened? Our teacher invited us to join her on a short trip to Riquewihr, France – a romantic little town in the heart of Alsace. Vineyards, and little alleys which look like you just entered the fairy tale world of the Beauty and the Beast. Even an all-year-round Christmas market is part of the deal, and everywhere do confectioners offer free samples of pastry. Maybe fairy tales can come true …

Graduation Banquet

Published by Sula H.

We’re back in class, and that means learning is the order of the day. But not exclusively. Last night, our school invited us to celebrate the graduation of some of our classmates with no less than a banquet. A Swabian banquet, with local treats such as Black Forest cake and the likes. This is how school is exactly according to my taste!

Versailles – A Royal Farewell

Published by Sula H.

Now, you can’t just go to Paris without seeing the royal splendors of nearby Versailles. That’s at least what we think. So, the last stop of our trip to France was at Château de Versailles, the royal palace, and one of the most famous sites in France. It took us a while to navigate through the line of visitors, which was almost a mile long (no joke), but then we were able to share in all the pleasures King Louis and his court once were able to enjoy. Except: We had to share it with a few more people than his majesty surely would’ve ever imagined stomping through his bed chamber during his day. But we were impressed nonetheless and spent a couple of very pleasant hours exploring the palace and grounds before it was time for us to return to our little corner of the Black Forest.

La Parisienne – A Taste of Paris

Published by Sula H.

  Most important to us – before our day in Paris was over – was to have a dinner à la French cuisine. By the time we were done sightseeing, however, it was getting kind of late, and we thought it best to return to that part of the city where we had left our car, and set out from there to find ourselves a petit little restaurant. Well, we were lucky, because when we left the metro station, we realized that we had parked our car right next to just that – a petit little restaurant! So, we sat down, and with lots of ado (ordering from a French menu when none of us really speak French) and the help of some very obliging waiters, we managed to get ourselves something delicious to eat. Only to realize that we hadn’t just found ourselves a petit little restaurant, but that – in fact – it was a petit little restaurant with very delicious food, aaand … a grande view! Quite right: as we were sitting …

La Parisienne – Pastry and Other Matters

Published by Sula H.

To find myself a piece of pastry in Paris I had set out. And getting myself a piece of pastry was exactly what I did when the first opportunity presented itself! There’s nothing better than French pastry melting in your mouth. Oh boy, the French do know how to put together some pretty yummy stuff. The only problem you could have with the pastry is when it comes to ordering it. Especially when all you know about the French language is what you remember from school, some nearly twenty years ago – and what you learned then had nothing to do with pastry, really. In such trying times, pointing with the finger might help, and in the end I managed to get what I wanted, which made me a pretty happy girl in Paris!

La Parisienne – That French Fromage

Published by Sula H.

One of the first things we set out to do after getting up, was finding ourselves a French breakfast. Unfortunately, we were a little late already. (Going to bed at around 4 am isn’t the best way to make sure everyone’s ready to wake up in a timely manner the next morning – me included.) And since we didn’t know the area, we had no clue where to find a café serving breakfast. But a nice breakfast it had to be, or else why would you want to come to France at all, really. No? So, we went into a little town in the suburbs of Paris and found ourselves a bakery selling fresh croissants. But again, what’s a French breakfast without fromage? (Fromage = stinky stuff also called “cheese.”) Luckily, a cheese shop is never far away in France, and so, within the hour, we were all happily munching our fresh fromage and croissant breakfast. Unluckily, we forgot the cheese in the car when we parked it by the subway station to take the metro …

La Parisienne – Adventures in Paris

Published by Sula H.

Have you ever been to Paris? If not, you should definitely put it on your must-go list, because it might just be worth that little trip. For us, my colleagues/ friends/ classmates/ car-mates/ travel buddies and me, Paris was pretty much at the top of our must-go list while in Europe. After all, you can’t just live right next to the French border for a couple of weeks and not go there. So, we packed our car, and after class, we went on a long road trip, halfway across France to pay Paris a visit. A short one, for sure. But definitely one that will be unforgettable. Of course, I won’t forget the masses of people that crowd all places of significance in Paris. If you’re trying to have a nice little quiet peaceful secluded get-away weekend, forget Paris. But if you’re up to facing the masses, there’s nothing that can dampen your spirits, or at least our spirits, really. Because we had a lot of fun … … riding the boat along the Seine, …

They Call It Angel Mountain

Published by Sula H.

To Switzerland we wanted to go. Because you can’t just be in the neighborhood and not stop by there. And a little bit of hiking – that’s what we wanted to do. So we hopped into the car and went on a pretty little road trip. Pretty … because you can’t go to Switzerland without having to admit that it’s amazingly pretty. Little … because Switzerland is so small that everything is just a little distance away. And road trip … because after getting to Lake Lucerne, my car-mates decided that wasn’t spectacular enough, and so we got back on the road and moved on to Engelberg, the place they call Angel Mountain. And we found ourselves a mountain to do some hiking and a whole lot of hanging out there, too, enjoying the scenery. See?  

A Lesson in Castle-Ology

Published by Sula H.

Of course, being in school, we really have to make sure we learn as much as we can. That also includes a lesson in the science of castle-ology. The Sausenburg makes one great object lesson. Except: it was destroyed hundreds of years ago, and that was pretty much the end of it. But we went there anyways. We climbed all the way up the keep – pretty much the only part of the castle that remains. And then we did learn something. About grand views. About the Black Forest, Switzerland, and France – all of which was spread out right before our eyes. And in the end, we decided that the Sausenburg was worth a little lesson in castle-ology anyway.