Ten Months In Germany:
A Erasmus student's notebook
France (Grand- Est Region)
Tuebingen --> Karlsruhe --> Strasbourg --> Nancy --> Metz
9th March 2020 - 15th March 2020
Together with my earlier trip to Prague and my later trip to Austria, my one week travel in the Grand-Est region(Strasbourg, Nancy and Metz) was considered to be one of my tiring and yet enjoying independent journey I took. Tiring because I was traveling when the Covid pandemic first hit Central Europe. It was bad to the point that some of my bus schedules were cancelled. In my journey back to Germany(from Strasbourg to Karlsruhe via Flixbus), I received a message from my German flatmate on the European borders closing the next day. I was very lucky that it was on the day that I returned. But yeah! The travel to Grand Est is tedious but very fun. I love envy single second of it!
Attractions that I have went:
For Arts and architectures: Strasbourg is known as one of the two headquarters of the European Union and pride itself as one of the favourite tourist attraction spots in France. The whole city is filled with references of history from the late medieval age to the early enlightment aesthetics. These are the must places I encourage:
- (Palaces and castles) Palais Rohan
- (Historical sites) Place du Château, Place Kléber, Museum Œuvre Notre-Dame, Petite France, Barrage Vauban, Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Parlement européen de Strasbourg, Conseil de l'Europe, Place Gutenberg
- (Churches and Cathedral) Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg, Église Saint-Thomas
For Food: I was in a rush to enjoy the scenery of Strasbourg, hence I did not go to many restaurants and eat their food. But as a big city, the city centre offers many varieties of restaurants from different cultures. But I recommend to have an eat out along the Cathedral route as many local cafes and pubs there.
For accommodation: In Strasbourg, I stayed in a small private own hostel called Blue Canary, which is located just along the stretch of road that is beside the river that surrounds the oldtown. Unfortunately, as of during the pandemic, the hostel is permanently closed down.
Blue Canary Hostel
7 Quai Finkwiller, 67000 Strasbourg, France
I'm sorry but Flixbus is toooo convenient not to take as an option for traveling around central Europe.
The streets of Strasbourg city
The first photo below is taken when I first realised that I have arrived in Strasbourg...or to say my first visit to France. I arrived in Strasbourg at 5pm via the transfer from the German border of Karlsruhe. I managed to take a good look of the other skirts of the oldtown and the modern city around it. The walk from the bus interchange to the oldtown took me at least 15 mins. The oldtown is located near the river streams of the River Rhine. I managed to look at the shopping areas and tourist sites as the sun sets and the sky darkens. Le petite France is pretty during the sunset; the small medieval village architecture is clustered near the small stream making it look very unique and representative of the Strasbourg life of the 16th century. At night, the city became quiet and most shops and stores are closed after 8pm. There are tramlines situation at the main town area, so it will be easy for everyone to travel within the old town to other neighbourhoods.
Strasbourg Cathedral
This is the city's main cathedral and was the tallest cathedral in Europe in the 19th century before the construction of the cathedral in Ulm and Cologne replaced the spot that was held by the city. Considered as one of French best rayonnant gothic architecture, the huge religious building was even applauded by famous scholars like Victor Hugo and Goethe. The cathedral was built initially by three generation of the Steinbach family (firstly by Erwin Von Steinbach to his son, Johannes, which later passed the torch to his son, Gerlach. Today, it stand as the pinnacle of Romanesque cathedral as the sixth tallest church of that is still standing from the Middle Ages.
Palais Rohan
Palais Rohan is located just beside Strasbourg cathedral and from the outside it does not look much. The main beauty lays on its interior. The palace was once the residence of many French monarchs, including Marie Antoinette and Napoleon. There are many exhibition in the palace itself and I paid €4 for the entrance for Musée des Arts Décoratifs and Musée des Beaux-Arts. Overall, I am impress with the interior design of the palace as it have the splendid baroque aesthetic and design; very over the top and full of flower décor.
The European Union Headquater
One of the reason why I came to visit Strasbourg, it is one of the headquarter and the meeting place of all the European union leaders. Many of my friend come here to visit the city for this (and also to see the beauty of Strasbourg). For the council of Europe, I'm surprise how it is located and surround by normal resident houses.
What I ate during my travels in Strasbourg(if you are curious).....
I kinda miss some Chinese food, so I went in to the nearest Chinese restaurant to eat ramen. Not bad at least. The restaurant name is La Mian restaurant and it is located at:
20 Rue du Fossé-des-Tanneurs, 67000 Strasbourg, France
I got abit hungry waiting for my bus ride from Strasbourg to Nancy that I decided to buy a chocolate sundae in Macdonald's at Rivetoile (A shopping just a street across the Strasbourg central bus station)
Nancy (11th March 2020 - 13th March 2020)
Attractions that I have went:
For Arts and architecture: Nancy has a a much later aesthetic compared to Strasbourg. While Strasbourg has a strong medieval artistry in the main city attraction, Nancy has a vibrant and modern art nouveau aesthetic around the main city centre. I would even consider Nancy very underrated compared to Metz. Here are some places I went and also encourage you to go to:
- (Palace and Castles) Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, place de la Carrière, Government Palace - Palace Garden
- (Historical sites) Place Stanislas, Museum of Fine Arts in Nancy, Porte de la Craffe, Porte Désilles, arc Héré, Stanislas Gate of Nancy,
Alliance Square, Porte de la Citadelle, Bergeret Building
- (Cathedral and churches) Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation, Basilica of Saint Epvre of Nancy, Saint Sebastien Church of Nancy, Our Lady of Bonsecours Church of Nancy
For Food: I rarely ate out in Nancy for the next two days as I found it better for me to just but ingredients and cook it at my studio apartment in Apparteo Nancy
For accommodation: I decided to stay in an area further than the tourist spots in Nancy since I want to be alone. I recommend Apparteo Nancy if you want a studio room for yourself. It is also cheap as when I booked the room, it was £90 for 1 bed for two nights under promotion.
Apparteo Nancy
48 boulevard Albert 1er, 54000 Nancy, France
The streets around the iconic Place Stanislas
I'm impressed with the city of Nancy. While my visit to Strasbourg is still enjoyable (the city still have some German influence over it), Nancy is full-on independent in it architecture through its French renaissance-styled aesthetic. Nancy is also over the top with its design of the city; gates with very intricate flowery designs all over it. The city building has pastel white wall with hue blue rounded coned-shaped on the top of every tower or building.
Place Stanislas
I have no words. I really love Nancy for its own aesthetic as a city. It flows with French design and architecture that is different from the German medieval look of Strasbourg and the gothic cathedral city of Metz. I would say that the iconic landmark, Place Stanislas, is a masterpiece for its intricated layout of the main city square and the French buildings and cathedrals around it. In the middle of the square is the statue of Stanislas, himself the Duke of Lorraine and later King of Poland. The square is also surrounded with iron bar gates with gold paint on it. The bars are designed with flowers and crowns.
The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy and its collections of traditional art to contemporary
Another interesting place to visit in Nancy would be the art gallery just next to the statue of King Stanislas and in the Place Stanislas itself. The gallery is made up of three levels in which the third level is dedicated to French and Italian renaissance to Rococo art oil painting. The second floor basically contain contemporary artworks and the ground floor is the reception area. The building may look small in the outside but interiorly, it is full of art pieces all around it. I got to pay € 4.5 as a student but for normal adult price it will be €7. I would recommend to those that are interested in Italian and French renaissance oil paintings.
Basilica of Saint Epvre of Nancy and Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation
Two words, Gothic and grand. The design of the main city cathedral and Basilica in Nancy are some of the best in the area. Unfortunately, it was hard for me to take a photo f the main city cathedral as the building insides are closed at 7pm and the architecture is attached to other residence building behind Place Stanislas. The Gothic Basilica, however, have a space of itself and I was able to take a good exterior photo of the tower and the fine spikey architecture.
Recommended things to do in Nancy: Compared to Metz and Strasbourg, Nancy is the city to shop goods and clothes. It is a vibrant place to tour around and also a good place to visit gardens and galleries. With that said, this is what I recommend you should do when you are in Nancy.
- 1. Buy a set of traditional Lorraine-styled Macarons
I bought it from Maison Des Soeurs Macarons (21 Rue Gambetta, 54000 Nancy, France)
- 2. Have a breakfast (or shop around) around the train station
- 3. Have a brunch/dinner around Grande Rue street
The Grande Rue street have many pubs, cafes and restaurants located along to place Stanislas. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to try out the eat areas since I lived a far out distance from the tourist area.
P.S. Do know that the French people are proud in their culture and language and expect you to know basic French words and greetings. I tried to speak English with them but they insisted on me understanding them in French. All the conversation I had are in French and it is hard for me to understand. Désolé, je ne parle pas français!
Metz (13th March 2020 - 15th March 2020)
Attractions that I have went:
For Arts and architectures: Metz, like Strasbourg has a very gothic atmosphere around the city. unlike the previous two cities, Metz is much more tiring to walk as it involve climbing up a hill. Many of the oldtown is located on top of the mount. It is a pretty city that only require a night to travel around since it is actually smaller than Nancy in size.
- (Palace and castle) Porte des Allemands, New Temple, Tour du Temple de La Garnison de Metz
- (Historical sites) Serpenoise Gate, The Camouflage Tower of Metz, Jardin Boufflers, Grenier de Chèvremont, Jardin de l'esplanade de Metz, Metz covered market, Place Saint Louis, Le petit train Metz
- (Churches and Cathedral) Metz Cathedral, St. Vincent Basilica of Metz, Chapelle des Templiers, Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz
For Food: Like Nancy, I rushed my trip. Hence, I didn't went to pay a visit to nearby cafes or restaurants for some French cuisine.
For accommodation: The usual routine for me in searching for a hostel/hotel to stay is to find a very cheap one somewhere near the tourist area. Metz trip is considered one of my stupid trip as I didn't realised I booked a hostel that is almost 1 hour away from the city. In fact, it is located around the highway very close to a theme park. However, I did not regret booking it as it is cheap for a single room and I have the peace and quiet that I want.
Hôtel Première Classe Metz
La Grange aux Bois, Rue de Courcelles, 57070 Metz, France
Metz city,
The last city that I visited in France
Metz is an interesting city; it combines the rich dark gothic medieval aesthetics and also added with the vibrant French renaissance-styled building around the city area. Even the train station have been decorated with intricate gothic clock display at the building tower. Like many cities, it is added with sculptures, monuments and fountains around. The city has many water towers located in which one of them is just beside the city train station. Metz was once a battle ground for the Holy roman Empire and the Kingdom of France when Emperor Charles V battles King Francis I for supreme rulership of the Christendom and the Italian territories in 1552. Ever since then, Metz became a strategical place for decisive battles that is between the French-German borders. Now, Metz has became a tourist attraction for its gothic aesthetic buildings and religious sites around the city. The most famous is Temple Neuf and the Metz cathedral.
Porte des Allemands
A cute French-styles castle/fortress located near to the train station. It is good to take a few photos of this area as unlike many old architecture, the Porte des Allemands still have its vibrant colours palette on the wall. I recommend people to go there once as you can see vines and grass reclaiming the building around it.
Metz Cathedral
I have no words for this historic site. It is situated on the top of the city hill where many of the tourist shops, restaurants, cafes and shopping mall are at. The cathedral gave a huge and majestic feels as the hill empowers the size of the religious building. It is great to took a snap of the environment and the building by being near the big road which is a downslope from the cathedral.
The Neuf Temple
I didn't have the chance to walk in, however, the beauty of this temple lays with the overall scenery of the area around it. Temple Neuf is one of the iconic photos taken to represent Metz as a city. It is a Protestant church located on place de la Comédie, in the middle of the two streams of River Moselle. The good way to take a photo of the temple would be distancing away from it by standing near the end of the bridge or the highway/hill just the right of the temple. It is also unique how it is the only architecture built on this small plateau which is next to the city's opera theatre.
My nice quiet stay in a temporary hostel near the highway :)
I was glad that I booked a hostel further away from the main city centre. To be frank, I was very annoyed with myself when I found out that I booked a hostel near a resort area which is 45mins walk away from the city of Metz on the day when I move there. i can't complain as that is my dumb decision and choice. The walk was kind of miserable and long. I made at least two wrong turns along the way. However, I am very okay with the state of the room I have. It looks cheap cabin-like room with the toilet looking like a train toilet, it still provide me with the coziness that makes me comfortable. Another good thing is that within 10 mins, there is a huge shopping centre and there is a direct bus to the main Metz city centre. Hence, I recommend the hostel for those that want to be near to theme parks and restaurants but not to those that want to stay in Metz to tour around.
