Bienvenue à Alsace!
12 September 2017, continued
We were super excited as this was our first time staying in France, and we chose to skip the hotel for a campground! This place had little mobile homes in natural wood, with their own bathrooms and kitchens! We only had one night booked as we wanted to go more down the Alsatian Wine Route, but for our time in Strasbourg this would be perfect. We arrived and checked in, and while we thought we booked the one with the wheels, we ended up with the larger cabin-style. It was simple, clean, well lit, and cozy. In short... perfect!
We checked in, unloaded our gear, and saw that in addition to the kitchen there was also a deck with patio table and chairs! We knew right away where we were sitting for dinner and got pretty excited about finding a shop. Isn't it every cook's dream to wander through a market in France and pick up ingredients to prepare a meal? Well that was on the agenda for tonight!
The campground was actually very close to the old town of Strasbourg, and it was basically a one road straight go right into the city. It actually took us longer to find parking than it did to get there! After a bit of driving in circles, we finally found a garage that had us parked under Place Kleber. Good spot really, right in the heart of town yet easy to get in and out. We took the stairs up to the large square, and expected to be a bit taken in by the sight of the beautiful French city, but we had no idea what was actually awaiting us...
We stepped out onto Place Kleber to see a giant full rainbow stretched across the sky above us. Absolutely brilliant, and hopefully this was a sign that our time in France was going to be great!
We stood in the platz (or place I guess, now that we're in France) and took in the scenery around us. The stately buildings lined the square, an impressive diffused light pouring over them through the clouds. The rainbow stretched above, spreading out wider and wider every few minutes before it would eventually dissolve. There was definitely more of a bustle in Strasbourg than we've seen the past few days, the most foot traffic we've seen since Konstanz or Zurich. I guess that's to be expected, Strasbourg is a decent sized city after all.
We walked through the old city streets, through the crowds and past the traffic, down to the Pont Saint-Martin bridge in the scenic waterfront part of town known as Petite France. This was the way you always imagine France to be- windy cobblestoned streets, small cafes on the corner, pretty buildings lining the river, quaint bistros displaying their menus to the passersby – straight from your imagination and into the world.
A barge was making its way through the lock to head up river. I was always fascinated by how this worked, and we watched for a bit before the lure of the city pulled me on. We turned down the Rue des Moulins and made our way to the Ponts Couverts, a little foot bridge that gave a great view of the 1700s covered drawbridge Barrage Vauban, one of the famous landmarks in Strasbourg. We walked through Petite France, taking what pictures we could in the rapidly fading daylight, until finally night fell on the city.
We headed past all the now closed little shops and bakeries along the Grand Rue, slowly making our way back to Place Kleber and the car. We found a grocery store and stopped in to pick out some ideas for dinner. We usually like to stop in grocery shops, as this is where the real city and locals tend to be. Walking through the aisles you get a glimpse into the daily life, and for a cook it is fun to see the different ingredients they get to work with. This is true of any grocery store, but for those passionate about cooking, it is especially true in France. This is, after all, the epicenter of western cuisine. We went up the different aisles, obsessing over the incredibly fresh produce and the amazing selection of cheese. The cheese and meat sections inspired us to make a rustic take on a French classic, and we grabbed some ingredients to go with a few leftovers we had from Germany. Fresh leafy lettuce, a couple French cheeses, a chunk of fresh baked bread, and a pair of hearty chicken breasts filled our basket as a celebration of our first night in France. Even though we had already picked up plenty of beers and were venturing into wine country tomorrow, we decided to stop in the drink section anyway. The world suddenly stopped when we saw the Mort Subite bottles, and while it was so exiting to find that bottle of Geuze in Zurich, this store had my absolute favorite- Mort Subite Lambic Blanche, the soured white ale from Belgium that truly stole my heart! We grabbed two bottles of this one, one for tonight and one to bring home!
Back at the campsite we set up the table and chairs on the patio. There was a little cool breeze, but the night was surprisingly mild. Not too bad for a dinner outdoors! Temperatures were definitely higher in France than they were just a short drive away in Germany. We unpacked our groceries into our little fridge and started prepping up the kitchen. Getting this place for the night was a great idea, as a little bit of self-catering is a nice change to the hotel and restaurant life that dominates most trips. Adding it into more of the middle has broken things up a bit too. I'd definitely book one of these again!
Dinner tonight was a simple take on the French Cordon Bleu. We made a fresh salad with the leafy lettuce, herbed boursin cheese, leftover Viadukt tomatoes, and a dressing made from some German mustard and a bit of the Swiss cider. We also had a pumpkin soup that we found at the market. I sautéed some of the leftover salami from Liechtenstein to make a bit of oil in the pan to cook the chicken breasts, which were stuffed with the salami and Comté (our favorite French cheese). Served with that amazing crusty French bread, this was a satisfying first meal cooked in France, and ultimately it was a map of our journey on a plate.
We ended the night with a Williams pear (the kind they use to make the schnapps), and of course that amazing Mort Subite Lambic Blanche.
Bienvenue en France!!!
