Bonjour and Hola!
It always feels like so much happens between each post and never enough space to tell you everything!
I had my Spring Break recently which was absolutely amazing! I traveled with my friends and we decided to stay in France and understand this wonderful country we are staying in beyond Aix! We went to Normandy, Strasbourg, and Dijon, all absolutely stunning in their own ways. However, for this post I wanted to focus on Strasbourg as I felt a strong connection to that historically rich city.
The city itself is located right inside the border of France and Germany, which means that the city feels like this wonderful blend of French and German culture. Throughout history, Strasbourg has changed its nationality from French to German countless times. So much so that if you’re walking through the streets you might even hear a unique language to the people that live there, Alsatian. It’s not quite German and not quite French, an utterly beautiful combination of these countries.
Now, I won’t nerd out with the history here (but if you would like to know more on the history during WWII, I would be more than happy to oblige). The buildings are stunning and are much more of German influence in the main heart of town with dark wood exposed beams and colors of pale pinks, yellows, creams, greens and oranges. When we were in the town we noticed parts around the massive cathedral in center were blocked off the first day, so we asked one of the guards what was happening and we come to find out current President Macron was visiting at the same time we were! During the time we were there we visited the cathedral which was named Cathedral of Our Lady Strasbourg and climbed all 332 steps to the top viewing point. We also went on a boat tour of the history of Strasbourg on the Rhine River and ended the trip with a wine tour to two family owned vineyards in the Alsace region!
Of course we couldn’t end our trip without some travel troubles, we ended up having to get off our original train due to an accident and got on a fully booked train where we had to stand in the aisle of the food cart section for an hour and a half. It’s not traveling without an unexpected adventure to keep you on your toes!
Next, let’s fast forward to this past weekend which was spent in the south of Spain. My friend’s grandparents currently live there and we had the wonderful opportunity to stay with them for the weekend. We visited the Mosque Cathedral of Cordoba which took my breath away. The raw vastness of the space and size along with the inclusivity for more than one religion to be held in one space. Beautiful unique red and white arches surround the interior with a massive cathedral in the center with carved gold and white ceilings and two organs facing each other topped with their own statues. I could’ve stayed there for hours learning the history. We also visited the town of Malaga the last day as we had our flight there. We ate some wonderful seafood for lunch and had gelato for dessert. Overall a wonderful fully packed weekend of discovering yet another new culture!
I’ll leave you with this small tiny bit of advice, if you have the opportunity to travel DO IT. I cannot believe how much you learn about yourself while discovering the world. The bond you make with your soul is one that only gets stronger when you allow yourself to embrace every person and place you go. I’ve made some of the strongest connections with the people here and I’m so grateful I took that leap of uncertainty to this country. If it’s a little nerve-racking you know you’re in the right direction.
Let’s see what the future holds,
Emma Libby