Alsace

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MY BICYCLE DIARIES: CYCLING ALSACE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH 4/4

Céline Cycling Adventures, Backpacking for Dummies, AROUND EUROPE, Back to Mulhouse No Comments
MY BICYCLE DIARIES: CYCLING ALSACE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH 4/4

By dint of living in Alsace, I often didn’t measure my chance. It was normal for me to take the bus from Strasbourg to Kehl in Germany just to buy cigarettes, eat ice creams or go grocery shopping. As a kid, it didn’t feel extraordinary to go to Basel’s zoo in Switzerland and spend entire days in the Baden-Württemberg’s swimming pools. There was nothing unusual for me, my friends, and my family in spending a few summer days having fun in Europa Park (a huge attraction park, located in Rust, Germany). But when I casually mentioned these stories to my friends from Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan, it was always fascinating for them, this easiness to cross borders, to go to another country. For islanders, there would always be boats, planes, and journeys to go abroad. Since I came back, I tend to be more grateful for those border-crossing experiences, and I expect to make the most of it!

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MY BICYCLE DIARIES - CYCLING THE ALSACE REGION 3/4

Céline Cycling Adventures, Backpacking for Dummies, AROUND EUROPE, Why you should start talking to strangers, Back to Mulhouse 1 Comment
MY BICYCLE DIARIES - CYCLING THE ALSACE REGION 3/4

In the end, my night was very relaxing. The hotel’s bed was as comfy as a fluffy cloud and the ladies at the reception desk made me smile this morning with their cheering. They seemed genuinely admirative of my journey and it feels good sometimes to remember why I got on my bike to travel Alsace (because 1. Why not? And because 2. I feel like doing quite a few little crazy things in my life before I die). I ate as much as I could at the hotel’s breakfast buffet and even put a few snacks in my pockets for lunch. I feel definitely more serene and energetic this morning to go back on the road.

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MY BICYCLE DIARIES - CYCLING THE ALSACE REGION 2/4

Céline Cycling Adventures, Backpacking for Dummies, AROUND EUROPE, Why you should start talking to strangers, Back to Mulhouse, In Love with Strasbourg 2 Comments
MY BICYCLE DIARIES - CYCLING THE ALSACE REGION 2/4

After a yummy breakfast shared with my friend Christel with some chocolate cake left by Valentin the previous night, I’m back on the road! I cycle in Neudorf, my former neighbourhood, quite nostalgic, but with a strange feeling of not completely belonging there anymore. After all, that neighbourhood has changed a lot, it got a bit gentrified, and what once felt familiar is now mixed up with the foreign. Is it how it always goes with the places we used to cherish? The filters of the past can’t quite overlap the actual sceneries. We play the game of the 7 differences, with some eagerness, but also a bit of nostalgia, isn’t it? What’s left of our memories when the architecture is changing? Is there any memory set in stone?

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MY BICYCLE DIARIES - CYCLING THE ALSACE REGION 1/4

Céline Cycling Adventures, Backpacking for Dummies, In Germany, AROUND EUROPE, Why you should start talking to strangers, Back to Mulhouse, In Love with Strasbourg 3 Comments
MY BICYCLE DIARIES - CYCLING THE ALSACE REGION 1/4

Last year, end of September 2019, I cycled around my home region of Alsace (France) for a week. I started in Wissembourg, at the extreme north of the region, and cycled down to Basel in Switzerland. I cycled about 400km in total, on three different Eurovelo routes, I crossed two borders (Germany and Switzerland) and relaxed in three different spas along the way (because why not?) and, obviously, I experienced different weather conditions.

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WHY YOU SHOULD START TALKING TO STRANGERS #2 - ABOUT FLIRTING & INSPIRATION

Céline Backpacking for Dummies, AROUND EUROPE, I think therefore I run away, Why you should start talking to strangers, In Love with Strasbourg 2 Comments
WHY YOU SHOULD START TALKING TO STRANGERS #2 - ABOUT FLIRTING & INSPIRATION

I burst into laughter, and talk and talk about the New Zealand’s landscapes, about how easy it can be to travel once you make your mind about it. He tells me about London, Egypt, and those little dreams he has secretly stored in his heart. I can tell that he’s drunk too, Jason, for he’s sharing his secrets with any random woman that comes along in the streets.

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