Phase 1 Complete

Here I am!  Alive and well in Strasbourg.  I flew directly into the small Strasbourg airport.  There were very few people on my plane and they all seemed to vanish at baggage claim.  This left me and an elderly couple alone to try and figure out how to get train tickets out of a machine that only accepted special train cards and coins (of which I had none.)  I eventually asked a man at the airport’s only café to make change and he did, but only because I was jolie (which I find hard to believe as I hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in three days).  I made my way to an empty train platform where it started to rain.  The elderly couple soon followed and together, we figured out when the next train would arrive.  My first impressions: Strasbourg is empty and dreary. 

After ten minutes, I got off the train at Gare Centrale.  I saw that Strasbourg was actually quite populated but still dreary.  I diligently followed the hostel’s directions, found the number 10 bus in the direction of Brant Université, and got off at Place de Pierre.  I must have looked confused to not see the hostel because the bus driver called out something which I figured, with the aid of his hand motions, meant walk two blocks and turn right.  Once I checked into my room, I didn’t really know how to begin looking for housing .  I decided to walk around with a map instead.  In this way I was able to discover a few things.  First, I found a river.  Or two rivers.  Really, it’s one river that splits and then joins back together forming a small island, referred to as Petite France. I discovered that most of Strasbourg is in or around Petite France and as long as I remembered where the rivers were, I was able to find my way back to the hostel.  I also discovered people!   A lot of them.  They all seem to gravitate towards Place de la Cathédrale.  It’s no wonder.  The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg kind of sneaks up on you.  I was walking down small, shop-lined alleys and then the sun was completely blocked by a giant cathedral.  It is really breathtaking.

Well, I don’t want to go into detail about the rest of my week.  Let’s just say, there were times that I viewed the homeless people under the bridges with envy.  This week involved much frustration, disappointment, and some shady apartment visits.  The good news is, I have found a place to live, I have visited my schools and met the teachers will be observing in the next few weeks, and Strasbourg is looking a lot less dreary these days.