Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: Spring Fever 2008
European washout / city centre revisited
I knew before I even opened the curtains that the weather was dire, the dual clues being the very low level of daylight seeping through and the splattering sounds of raindrops on the windows. I had breakfast in the ground-floor restaurant as usual and decided to stick to my plan, which was to go and have a look around the nearby European institutions. I armed myself with a day pass for the transport system for a very reasonable EUR3.50 and rode the E line to the European Parliament. I managed a few pictures in the pouring rain by juggling my brolly in one hand and my camera in the other, although the lens was soon showing raindrop blotches. I walked around the outside of the Parliament building and asked the security men in the gatehouse if visits were possible, to which the disappointing answer was 'Non, Monsieur!' I then walked towards the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, before taking a tram to the city centre.
I had arranged to meet chrissxb
at 1200 for lunch, in one of the venues used at the very first
Tour de France event in Strasbourg. We met at the station and
walked the short distance to the little-known, but very nice
restaurant, where the plat du jour was based on swordfish
kebabs. Lovely!
As lunch progressed, I couldn't help noticing
that the sun was shining outside - what a transformation!
After lunch, we strolled around the city centre in
the much more pleasant conditions, and Chris was able to give me
some recommendations for my evening meal, having been horrified to
learn that I'd eaten in the hotel the previous evening
We had a mid-afternoon coffee before going our separate ways. I
returned to the Hilton for a bit of relaxation and a visit to the
Executive Lounge, before returning to the city centre for dinner in
a most unusual restaurant featuring exotic dishes from around the
world. My main course, which was absolutely delicious, was kangaroo
satay with noodles and wok-fried vegetables. Many thanks to Chris
for an excellent recommendation!
