24 hours in strasbourg

Due to the practised efficiency of airline administration my carefully arranged, and eagerly anticipated, trip in the cockpit with Volker was cancelled (or more likely postponed). Needing to get some more credit for my French phone meant the best thing was to hop back over the border to France and so to Strasbourg it was. After finding the tourist information office, and successfully changing back from my backyard German to more formal French, I quickly ascertained where the Youth Hostels were and, more importantly, how to get to them. Following the written and verbal instructions given I jumped onto the number 10 bus, after eventually finding the bus stop which, as it turned out, was not where she said it was (probably the first sign that things were not as they seemed). Keeping a keen eye on the bus stops, I got off at the advised stop,(the one she circled heavily whilst saying Il faut sortir à cet station- you have to get off at this station). ignoring the little voice inside me questioning the point of having a bus stop named Auberge de Jeunesse, (Youth Hostel), the next stop.
After walking and passing the said bus stop about 800 metres, two busy intersections and a silent tram that came from the wrong direction later I eventually found the street upon which the hostel was located, not 5 metres from said bus stop. Luckily, for the “kind person” at the tourist information, I did not have my full back pack with me and was travelling light. Had I had my main backpack with me, I would have taken great joy getting onto the bus (bags and all) at the correct bus stop, riding back to tourist info, kicking her in the arse, before returning to WHERE the bus stop was, getting the bus and then getting off AT THE CORRECT STOP. Thankfully I had better things to do and so instead laughed calmly (umm?!?!) and checked into the hostel. The hostel was a reasonably sized place with a camping ground attached, entertainment room, internet and bar. Oh, I almost forgot the close proximity to the TRAIN LINE!!!!!!!!!! Thankfully ear plugs were a planned item this journey so sleep would be forthcoming.
First point of call was to find a Tabac or phone store to buy more credit for the phone. It is very easy to appreciate that when someone calls your mobile when you’re not in Australia, the phone call costs you as well. Unfortunately the same is true when using or answering a phone in another country whilst in Europe. Apparently European Union is a loosely used term that does not include similar co-operation between phone companies!! Unfortunately it seemed that the small throbbing in my head, after celebratorials with the French from the previous evening, was nothing compared to what the rest of France was experiencing as nearly every shop, including the Tabacs were closed early. With remembered skill from my first trip to Paris, I left my map and bus timetable at the backpackers and then proceeded to get myself incredibly lost in the old streets of Strasbourg whilst looking for any shop that would suit my needs. Choosing to continue to use my internal male compass rather than the unnecessary task of asking for directions, I eventually found a Tabac that was open…yer; computers were down and therefore unable to buy more credit…..doh!
After spending nowhere near enough time in Strasbourg (less than 24hours) it was back to Stuttgart for the weekend’s games, including the much anticipated final. After that, who knows? Perhaps Paris for Bastille Day and the Rane, Vienna to see friends from language school or maybe I’ll just throw a dart at a map of Europe and see where it lands?
As for Strasbourg, an enchanting place bisected with small canals and paved pedestrian streets. The main part of the old town is surrounded by these canals, and the abundance of ducks and swans, lack of traffic, and weeping trees gives a wonderful tranquillity not able to be fully appreciated in the time that I had. It is a place that is perfectly set up for bicycles and with places hiring them for €2 a day it won’t be long before I return to enjoy the city more.

Tips for young players: How to get lost in a foreign city
1. obtain city map but don’t look at it more than to follow “directions” given by tourist office to get to place of accommodation;
2. leave map at accommodation;
3. walk around looking for a particular place taking no notice of anything else;
4. make random Left and Right hand turns (or use the coin method – flip a coin at every second intersection, heads for left, tails for right).
5. stop and look around.

You know when you have succeeded in your goal as you have that funny sensation in the lower part of your abdomen, or when you look back and ask yourself “did I just walk down that street?!”
Knowing “I’m lost” or “I’m looking for..” in another language is really only useful if your grasp of that language is good enough to understand the reply. Although that being said, whilst nodding and initiating the “Universal Sign Language” discussion will get you in at least the right direction. Sometimes, if not often, it is good to get yourself lost in foreign countries. You certainly stumble across some untold treasures (shops, restaurants, architecture etc) that can make your journey unique, and that awful feeling in your stomach, go away.