Pictures!

And now, without further adieu... a post with pictures, finally!

So, back to day one... here is a lovely starting picture of us on a train (from Zurich to Strasbourg, I believe), complete with bloodshot eyes and no clue as to what the date or time of day it is.






Our first night in France was spent in Strasbourg, where we found a very cheap hotel only a block away from the train station. I'm not sure how to calculate the actual times we spent on planes and trains... let's just say we left from Washington, DC at 10pm on Monday the 4th, had a quick layover in London, landed in Zurich, hopped on a train and arrived in Strasbourg around 9pm on Tuesday the 5th. After getting settled into our room, the concierge was nice enough to recommend a fantastic restaurant for our first Alsatian meal: L'Ami Schutz. We insisted on taking a picture of the bread, not only because it was delicious, but also because it was served WARM (we thought Craigie folk might like that one).



This was my appetizer - a terrine of duck, rabbit, and some other kind of meat. Pretty tasty, though I've never been a fan of gelatin in my terrine. Was highly jealous of O's pick...











O's was wrapped in guanciale and had foie gras in the middle. Oh, he also had some little jellies on the side - one was some kind of sweet squash and the other (the clear one) had pink peppercorns in it. Both were bon bon bon!




Our final courses:















O went with the traditional Charcroute - an excellent decision, as you can see. Three kinds of sausage, saurkraut, potatoes, a huge slab of bacon, and that little meatball-looking thing... I think it was some kind of liver. Mine, on the right, was absolutely delicious. Guinea Hen with foraged mushrooms and spaetzle. I'm getting hungry just remembering this meal, and I just finished eating lunch.

The following few pictures are from the following day walking around Strasbourg before getting on another train to our final destination of Bourg-Bruche:






For our final meal before farm life, we chose Strasbourg's oldest restaurant: Maison Kammerzell, located right next to the cathedral pictured above. We didn't get a chance to explore the different floors and rooms (there are many), but we were able to eat a delicious meal.
They had a million choices of sauerkraut - O went for the one covered in monkfish and bacon and buerre blanc. Well done, sir, well done. Clearly I was feeling a bit nostalgic for Eastern Standard, and went with the steak tartare and frites. The waitress had to double-check with me that I understood that tartare = raw. Bring it on, Frenchie! Next post... farm pictures!