Fall Foliage and Tram Traffic

This past week in Strasbourg has been absolutely gorgeous. On Monday and Tuesday, the temperature hit the low 70s and the sun was shining non-stop. (Are you sure it is autumn? It feels like spring!) Wednesday took a short turn for the worst with some chilly rain showers, but today, it is once again absolutely beautiful! And the fact that the beautiful weather has been accompanied by canceled classes is just another plus! Seriously, though: only two of my seven classes met this week, giving me plenty of free time to hop from outdoor café to café with my friends (which I did, with great pleasure).

The fall foliage has also hit Strasbourg, and the city is even prettier than normal. Today, as Kat and I were scurrying around doing some last-minute preparations for our trip tomorrow, I couldn't help but envy all the people who were spending every second outside. It was so warm that I was walking around in jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, having abandoned my fleece.

Everyone else thinks these trees are quite bizarre, but I think they're cool

After I finished the last of my errands, Kat and I parted and I headed over to Republique to take my tram. However, it was such a gorgeous day that I decided to walk to the further stop instead of hopping on the tram right away. This actually turned out to be a fantastic decision. As I walked a little further, I realized that there were about 100 taxis parked in the middle of a main road (a strike of some sort) and the police presence was actually terrifying (so many groups of huge policemen armed with machine guns, just walking around looking for suspicious activity).

Worst of all, the tram traffic was insane. I decided to take the route home that the tram runs on, and all of the trams were just stopped on the tracks, filled with people but not budging an inch. I must've walked past about 20 trams that weren't going anywhere at all! I'm still not sure why they weren't running (it's not as if the taxi manifestation blocked the tram tracks) but they weren't, and the people inside them looked pissed off (because, of course, they couldn't even get out of the trams--the doors won't open unless the tram is stopped at a station and the driver activates the doors).

Walking past a frozen tram

On my walk home

I enjoyed my walk home immensely, and it was another first for me! Since my house is about a 40 minutes walk from the city (and probably more like an hours walk from my university classes) and since the tram is so convenient, I've never really just walked to or from my house. Also, I tend to be running a little late for all things, so walking just isn't an option!

Side note: tomorrow morning, at the lovely hour of 4 a.m., Kat and I are headed to IRELAND for the week!! Next week is Toussaint, and the University gives us a whole week off of classes. Of course, that is a perfect traveling opportunity, and when my friend Bridget offered to let us stay in her house in Ireland for part of the week, Kat and I immediately agreed. Needless to say, I'm really excited. As many times as I have visited England and Scotland, I've never ever been to Ireland. Also, Kat and I are pretty much seeing the entire country. We're staying with Bridget on the west coast for a few days, then going down to visit our mutual friend MK, who is studying abroad in Cork, and then we are rounding off the trip with a few nights in Dublin plus a day trip to Northern Ireland! It's going to be a busy week!