Florensac and Strasbourg

Well I'm feeling pretty good at the moment because I know I'm almost caught up with the blogging so I decided to be adventurous and try to do Florensac and Strasbourg all in one blog, since I don't have a ton to say about Florensac, having already been there once. We'll see how it works, these blogs have been taking longer than I would have expected, so I hope this works out alright.

I arrived in Florensac a little after 7 PM local time and my Mom's cousin and her husband (Linda and Val) picked me up from the train station in Agde, about 10 minutes from where they live. We returned to the house, where in the process of getting my things organized, I probably hit my head 4 or 5 times. For a taller person like me, many of the doorways in France are too short so I have to duck in order to get through them. There is also a doorway like that here in Bazemont, but the lump is receding and I've gotten used to ducking underneath doorways. Now I just have to hope I won't be one of those old men with a crooked back from having to duck so much. Anyway, that evening we went to a restaurant on the water in Marseillan I believe. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but the view sitting outside is beautiful because you have the docking area for the boats and the Mediterranean sea just beyond. I was pretty tired from my journey, so I returned from dinner and went straight to bed.

My stay in Florensac was just what I had hoped it would be, a nice reprieve from the busy city where I could get some R&R. I read a lot, finally finishing Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" (good book, by the way) and just enjoyed the village and it surroundings by walking around. The courtyard at Linda and Val's is a warm, welcoming place with a variety of herbs, plants, and two cute rabbits. It's really the perfect place to reflect on the wonders of life or simply relax and enjoy the day. Another night we went to a restaurant in Pezenas, which is an older town where Molière once lived, full of old buildings and wonderful architecture. The restaurant we went to had a wonderful setting with a bunch of trees, making it feel like you're in a private garden. Since it was a tapas restaurant, we shared some tapas with some wine and good company. My final night in Florensac, we went to a jazz show at someone's house and since I love jazz it was perfect. Overall, the stay in Florensac provided some much need rest and relaxation, along with intellectually stimulating conversation and fine wine. I almost forgot to mention that they were harvesting white wine grapes while I was there (Sauvignon and Muscat if I remember correctly), so Linda and I went one morning to the Co-op to buy wine and got to see a little bit of the process, plus read about it on a computer program they had set up. It was really neat not only to see the wines of the Florensac area, but also to read how they differ from wines around the world!

The next morning it was off to Strasbourg, a charming city near the German border. It's a toss-up between Strasbourg and Edinburgh for my favorite city, as both cities were wonderful, but each offered a little different culture and attractions. My first night in Strasbourg I met someone from Switzerland, so the next day we headed out to see a few different things. First, we went to the Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Strasbourg, which is probably the most beautiful cathedral I have ever been in. Not only is the sheer size of the cathedral awe-inspiring, but the grand organ about halfway down the aisle is ornately decorated and there is a working astronomical clock which is really a pleasure to see in action when each hour passes. The angels hit the bells, the shepherd or demon or whatever happens to be the "symbol of the hour" moves back into the clock and the new hour marker appears. Plus, it accurately tells the sunrise and sunset times, among other things. And of course you have the "normal" cathedral stuff, such as beautiful stain-glassed windows and various statues of Mary and the saints, etc. Absolutely gorgeous is all I have to say...

After the cathedral, we grabbed a "little lunch" and then went to a Strasbourg history museum. Strasbourg provides an interesting historical specimen, as it has historically been caught between France and Germany, so there have been a lot of changes of lifestyle/government due to these competing influences and also the influences of the native Strasbourgeois (you at least know what I'm trying to say...). Anyway, since it was a really good deal we went there and then to the modern art museum, which I have to say I enjoyed much more than the one in London. Although it's not the original, this museum houses a plaster cast of Rodin's "The Thinker" and of course I will be going to the Rodin museum in Paris to see the original. However, even the plaster was incredibly impressive. Sitting in front of it, I felt like the statue was about to turn its eyes towards me and start contemplating me. It is an absolutely magnificent work of art.

Just wandering around Strasbourg is a lot of fun. It's a bit like Venice because a canal of sorts runs through it and the actual streets can be confusing at times. One section in particular, called "La Petite France" houses historic buildings reminiscent of Swiss chalets and in general different architecture than one normally sees in France (see pictures below). Anyway, Strasbourg was a lot of fun and on the 30th I managed to get to Paris and meet up with my host family, although not without some minor bumps along the way...