STRASBOURG:
COLMAR:
AND MANY MORE!!!!!
But let's start with what we normally start with, the region's flag....
As you can see the colors of the flag stand out to be red and white, but what do they mean? Let's see... The yellow crowns on each side of the white (fat) stripe, represent the royal family of Habsbourg, who used to rule over central Europe. The color red is very commonly found in the two Alsatian coat of arms, and the white stripe represents the dukes of Werd, who ruled over the northern part of Alsace.A BIT OF INFORMATION:
Alsace is divided into two parts: the Haut Rhin and the Bas Rhin, as seen on the map. The capital of the Haut Rhin is Colmar, and the capital of the Bas Rhin is Strasbourg. In French: "haut"means "high"and "bas"means "low,"and the Rhin, is the stream that flows through this small french region.Where Does the Name Alsace Come From?
Alsace come from the alsatian word Elsass, which means the "Land of the Ill." The Ill is large stream that flows through this region, and intersects with the Rhin.
THE ALSATIAN LANGUAGE
The Alsatian language is based off German, and a little bit of French. Years ago, the Alsatians spoke French at work, and at home Alsatian. But today, this is rarely the case. Though, many schools in Alsace have now decided to teach the region's dialect, so that students could speak and grow with Alsatian. A study shows that among the dialects: tahitien, occitian, corse, basque, and catalan, alsatian is the one who has shown the most progress, in terms of the students understanding of it (if that made any sense!)
So in Alsace, there's really good food, so I decided I should copy and paste the link to the ABC'S of the Alsatian Gastronomy, so here it is!!!! Just in case you are really hungry, or if you will ever go to Alsace! By the way here's the link: http://www.otstrasbourg.fr/en/discover/gastronomy.html
Anyway, now that you were able to explore the Alsatian gastronomy, we are going to move on to sight seeing.... Here is a list of places that I went to during my stay, and that might interest some of you. I also added a little comment about and from one to five how much I liked it.
- Strasbourg Cathedral: Beautiful, spectacular! Obviously, when visiting Alsace, you go to Strasbourg to visit this cathedral!!! (4.5)
2. Botanical Gardens of Strasbourg: This botanical garden is unique in many ways. It's a conservation, and scientific research center filled with millions of rare and endangered plants! (4)
3. Historic museum of Strasbourg: This is a great opportunity to expand the tourists learning of this magical city. (3.5)
4. "La Petite France." Situated in Strasbourg "la petite France," so "the little France," is a beautiful and relaxing area, full of wonderful houses on water. (5)
5. The Vosges; They are chains of mountains and country side, full of wonderful animals! And by the way, the tallest mountain in Alsace (the Grand Ballon) is worth a try!! (4)
6. Parc Alsace Aventure: A wonderful preserved park, where you climb trees, go hiking, bungee jumping, zip lining, and more! (5)
7. Gingerbread Palace: Alsace is known for it's gingerbread, and so we wen to visit this magnificent gingerbread palace, that tells you everything you need to know about gingerbread. (3.5)
8. Castle of Haut-Koenigsburg: Simply beautiful, and educational! But don't go on the tours, they are just too boring! (4)
9. Centre de Réintroduction de la Cigogne Blanche: Technically, it means Conservation Center of the White Stork. The Alsace symbol is the white stork, and after it went almost extinct, the Alsatians decided to build this small but useful area, that will re-introduce the stork. (2.5)
10. Colmar: Capital of the Haut-Rhin, Colmar is a cute, and small city, that is worth spending a day or two visiting it. Simply loved it! (4.5)
Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strasbourg_Cathedral
- http://www.otstrasbourg.fr/en/discover/gastronomy.html
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