We are looking at Strasbourg, France for August. I had a flat picked out but on further consideration it looked a bit dingy so kept looking and found one where the woman is working out of town and letting her flat out. Guess where she is working? Freiburg! What a coincidence! So we met her this week and she is nice, intelligent and is welcoming us to use her flat. Wonderful, synchronicity, all those words apply.
So now what about September? - There was not a lot of choice in Avignon, France, our first thought, but nearby Arles had more so we've secured a lovely flat there. Public transport is good going between Arles and Avignon. Arles looks to be a charming place, smaller than Avignon.
I'm using a long term rental booking agency that renters advertise through. The only downside is that you have to pay the entire amount upon booking which means a substantial outlay months in advance. I have now found a way to "skirt" that process. No names here because I don't want to get anyone in trouble, least of all myself!
We had a framed picture with cracked glass; took it into a shop and the fellow rattles off in German of course, I look puzzled, of course, and he says you speak English? Yes. He says, in perfect English, why didn't you tell me I'm not telepathic you know! I don't expect people here to speak English although many do, I try to get by with my limited German, I am after all in Germany and it's MY failing to not know the language of the country I now live in. However, learning more every day by osmosis.
The lovely lady that I get a pedicure from is, I think Russian originally, and doesn't speak English but she is learning and she helps me with my German so it's good all around. Went into her shop and she's decorated for Christmas - wow! Red and green spotted lights moving across the ceiling, large snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, etc etc.
We went to Staufen, about 30 minutes by train south of Freiburg. We'd been there before with our partners D & E but it was raining so hard it was uncomfortable to walk around, this day it was just chilly. It is a quaint town where Faust is rumoured to have sold his soul to the devil. Unfortunately I cut off the top part but included because it is a work of art, although a slightly disturbing one.
Staufen's buildings have large cracks down them which it is now well known for, much to the consternation of the locals. Geothermal drilling caused water to seep into a mineral underground and caused sinking and raising of the ground under the buildings. I had thought they wanted to become another spa town like neighbouring Bad Kronzingen but reading further it was to provide energy efficient heat for the town. Read about it here or on Wiki, there are many articles about it, all different opinions but I think these two explain it. The city cannot restore itself until the problem is fixed and although many studies and scientists have weighed in on it, it is still not resolved.
Link to Staufen City website http://www.staufen.de/en/news/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1583323/Geothermal-probe-sinks-German-city.html
There are beautiful castle ruins or schloss on the hill above town with deeply terraced wine and fruit groves below it. You can walk up a path to it and get 360 degree views of the area, we didn't, very steep. The statue on the road below is holding a bunch of grapes and pointing towards the village. I didn't read about it.
Christmas decorating has not started yet in Staufen, still fall motif's, but we did get a coupon for 25 cents to the coming Christmas market in December. Heavens it would have cost them more than 25 cents to print the coupon!
We had a wonderful German lunch with a glass of wine to celebrate my birthday. We haven't eaten a lot of German food while being here. I did taste testing with sauerkraut a couple of weeks ago, there is dry and wet which I didn't know about (prefer the wet). We've been lunching out in other ethnic restaurants and for dinner eating in, quite often on what was left over from lunch.
Walking about the town I found these rusty garden spikes but I liked the shapes and whimsical aspect to them, especially the cupid.
So that is Staufen with it's substantial problem, although it is a pretty town with the river running through and the neighbouring grape terraces.
I just returned on the tram from downtown. I think every school kid in Freiburg was on it or waiting to get on at every stop! Bedlam! Door alarms going off because they are timed to close and couldn't with people still coming and going. Reminder to self, do NOT travel on the tram between 1:00 and 1:30...
So since we have to leave soon we've been getting ready. All four of us that share this space are always sad to leave and excited to come back!
Cheers, Bev, Bruce and Lexi Cat
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