Robison Family Swiss Adventure: Zurich, Colmar, Strasbourg

I'm now going to go back and blog about when my dad and step-mom were here at the end of June.  Some family members have already read about this trip on my dad's blog, but I want to have a record of it in my blog, too, so this might be a repeat for some of you.

My parents arrived Wednesday morning on June 22nd on separate flights.  Dad was coming from London and was supposed to arrive the night before, but got stuck in Frankfurt because of thunderstorms (By the way, we've been having crazy thunderstorms here all summer!  I didn't know that was common here.).  Macy and my baby sister Lauren arrived from the US around the same time.  Since everyone was tired from getting up early or from jetlag, we decided to spend our time just seeing Zürich that day.  The weather wasn't that great, but my parents, who live in Texas, were just happy it wasn't 100 degrees.  We all took the train back to my apartment to settle in and clean up.  Darren was actually out of town for a business trip at the beginning of my parents' visit, so he wasn't home.

My cute sister!  Beware, there will be a lot of pictures of her in these posts because I'm obsessed.

We started off our tour of Zürich by having lunch at Sternen Grill, which is a famous take-away food stand that has excellent sausages and roasted chicken.  My dad really likes sausages, so I had been waiting to take him here as part of his Father's Day present.  It is a very popular place and is usually crowded, but the service is quick and efficient, so we got our food in no time.  The sausages and the chicken were really delicious and warmed us right up on a cool day.  I then showed Dad and Macy the highlights of Zürich and we had fun being silly.

Dad and I at Sternen Grill

Enjoying fresh water from the fountains

Dad trying to fit in with the locals

Dad, Lauren, and me in front of St. Peter Kirche

As promised, one home-cooked meal for those who come to visit us

We all went to bed early that night because we were tired, but not too early so people could adjust to the time zone.  We got up the next morning and drove up to the Alsace region in France, which Darren and I visited in December.  If you remember, this region is on the border of France and Germany and has switched ownership many times over the centuries.  Therefore, the towns are a perfect blend of French and German culture.  This time, we stopped in the town of Colmar, which according to my guide book is "the best preserved city in Alsace".  We had lunch at a restaurant recommended by one of my friends and it was really good.  The best thing we had was a pizza-looking dish called tarte flambée, or in German, Flammenkuchen.

Dad, Lauren, and Macy at Restaurant Pfeffel

The tarte flambée, a thin crust topped with white cheese, bacon, and onions

Dad's beef stew served in a handmade Alsatian dish, I bought one of these dishes in December

The outside of the restaurant we ate at

We walked around the old part of town for a while and came across this church and saw that there was a bird's nest on top with two big storks in it!  Apparently storks are the mascot of the Alsace region.  They might have had baby storks in the nest, but we couldn't see or hear them.

A church in Colmar

The white storks in a nest on top of the church

Me and Macy (and sleepy Lauren) in Colmar

After we finished visiting Colmar, we drove another hour north to Strasbourg.  By only driving an hour north, we were able to get out of the cloud cover and get some sun!  We again walked around the old part of town and visited one of my favorite cathedrals ever, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame in Strasbourg.

Enjoying some sunshine in Strasbourg

Me and Lauren, I promise I'm not torturing her even if her face looks like it

Dad and I trying to decide where to go, Lauren relaxing in the stroller

Dad and I being silly in Strasbourg

Amazing pictures Macy took of the cathedral

A great close-up shot by Macy

I wanted to have dinner in Strasbourg so we wouldn't have to worry about eating when we got back to Zürich.  Without any recommendations, we just walked around and tried to find something that looked good.  We eventually settled on an outdoor restaurant with a beautiful setting near the river and under large, verdant trees.  We all tried some Spätzle, which is an Alpine-region traditional entree made of funny-shaped egg noodles.

Where we ate dinner in Strasbourg

In my opinion, I think Strasbourg is much more interesting than Colmar and is worth the extra hour-drive to get there from Zürich.  The old part of town is bigger and prettier, and the main cathedral is breathtaking.  After dinner we drove back home through Germany where there were no speed limits (on some part of the highway, not all)!  It was a breath of fresh air to be able to drive as fast as you want when typical speed limits on Swiss highways are 50 or 62 mph!