Strasbourg, France

| Strasbourg, France |

Although it was tough to leave Paris, Strasbourg was a welcome change. The pace slowed down to almost a stop and it was as if we stepped into another world. The little village with the colored houses and flower lined canals was a beautiful sight and the perfect place to get rested. We took the train from Paris and had a couple days before we had to rent our car. It was lovely to wander around the quiet streets and take the time to really absorb the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg. It's so breathtaking, it was hard to take our eyes off it. We had tough time narrowing down the photos since we couldn't stop capturing it. And not one photo truly does it justice. How have I gone this long without seeing it?!

We ended our first night in Strasbourg with a wonderful dinner to celebrate Perry turning 29. I had seen this place online and added it to my list of places I wanted to go but once I had actually arrived in Strasbourg I totally forgot about it. I was so focused on the cathedral I didn't even think of cheese! We got lucky and stumbled across it while we were strolling around. It's called La Cloche à Fromage Boutique and it's marvelous. We were able to get a table outside and the weather was perfect. Our server was an adorable gal named Catharine and she was from Canada. She explained the ways of the cheese master and gave us tips on ordering. We settled with a cheese fondue that was made with white wine and the cheese master's spices of choice and a massive cheese board. The master himself brought us our meal and explained how we were to eat the cheese board, it was a journey from one cheese to the next, and it was a memorable one. But what I was most excited about was the all you can eat fondue (how much fondue can a person eat?!). It was like nothing we had ever experienced. We didn't even finish one pot but that isn't to say that we didn't try. We also had a lovely Pinot Gris that was recommended to us by Catharine. It was from a winery in Hunawihr called Sipp Mack. She gave us details about the owners and we actually ended up making a stop there later on our journey and purchased way too much wine. But really, is there such a thing as too much wine? I think not. This place was the perfect place to end the night and celebrate Perry's birthday. We drank, we ate, we laughed... and he has the best smile so really, Happy Birthday to me.