France 2015 Day 3 – Strasbourg, Nancy and Reims

Woke up early with the jet lag effect still strong. Packed most of the stuff before heading out to walk the street. Our first stop was to look for one of the recommended restaurant called Doo but unfortunately, like most other shop, it was still not opened.

Made our way to La Petite France. The buildings and the river made a picturesque scenery. Taking some photos, we left and walked in the direction of the Unesco listed Strasbourg cathedral. En route there was a bread shop that was opened and we popped in to get some pastries. It was a pleasant surprise as the shop Woerle Boulangerie was in fact quite popular and it served some delicious pastries. We ate within the shop itself.

Walked another 5 mins and we arrived at the gigantic Strasbourg cathedral covered with incredible gothic sculptures. I was in awe at the size of the building and the details of it all. I was sure this was the best of the Notre Dame, and if you only got one to see, see this one.

We walked around the cathedral, once in a while snapping different perspective of it. It was a good choice to go really early before the tour groups poured in from all over.

Walked back to the hotel and checked out a while later. Our first long drive started and already I was having trouble getting onto the highway. Finally did so after driving around in circles.

It was a 2 hrs drive to Nancy, smooth sailing most of time, punctuated with tolls and the occasional crying complaints from baby K who either was hungry or sleepy.

We arrived in Nancy and still I struggled with getting to one of the carparks that I had input into the GPS. Eventually we decided to park at the parking lot some 500 meters away and walked to Place Stanislas. It was almost a 15 mins walk, straightforward but a little tiring as it was hot.

The Unesco listed Place Stanislas square was, which some said to be one of the most beautiful square in France. It was nice, with the golden gates and exquisite lampposts and hanging lamps. The sculptures at diagonals and of course the grandeur of the hotel summed up the beauty of it all. Didn’t had much time to sit around but we did have lunch at Jean Lamour, a pastries/desert shop selling really pretty pastries. Our quiche, cheesecake, tart and eclair washed down with a latte did the trick for the lunch.

Walked back to the carpark and again had to spend some time with baby care, changing nappies and washing and sterilising before hitting the road again. From where we parked, we can see a huge cathedral but we didn’t have time for that. My shoes also decided to give up the bottom soles and I am left when a thin cloth base to cover my feet.

Another 2hrs journey to Reims and baby got cranky due to tiredness. It was quite challenging as there wasn’t much we could do and he didn’t like the car seat too much. Wife was on the pumps and we could only let him drink from the bottle till he dozed off. There were more variations of speed limits because of road works, roads becoming single lanes and due to going through towns but it was still easy driving. Did a service stop 30mins from Reims to pump petrol and continued forth to our hotel at the Mercure Reims Cathedrale.

There was basement parking with ample spaces and it was great to have direct access of the lift to and from the rooms since I had to make a few trips to carry the heavy luggage and the miscellaneous stuff. The room was smaller the the Novotel and not as furnished with the washing accessories but I guess what you pay was what you get.

Again the same routine of cleaning up and again baby was cranky for sleep and did fell asleep after a while. We were then forced to order room service for dinner. The food was very nicely decorated and reasonably tasty.

Outside the sun set at around 10pm but we spent the remaining night to get ready for tomorrow.