Fri 29 May 2009

The Final Days in Strasbourg

I'm flying home tomorrow! I've had a great time here, and from my perspective, the InterOp went very well. I think that was the consensus amongst all of the participants. With the Table Access Protocol on the line, everyone was willing to negotiate, rather than let it slip further behind.

So, today was my last day for walking around Strasbourg. Here are some of the things I've come across while visiting this wonderful city.

Dogs are popular here, and they tend to be off-leash. It's really surprising to me, but the dogs just to seem to be mellow. With the exception of one I saw yesterday, circling his owner while she was carrying a stick.

Dogs aren't the only ones who run around excitedly. These two boys were making their dad work, by running back and forth to the edge of the canal. While I haven't seen as many children here as I'm used to at home, it's probably because we're close the business and tourist areas.

Walking paths often go along the rivers and canals, which are full of waterfowl; mostly ducks, and a few Moorhens, like the ones I saw in the botanical garden. But yesterday, I saw a pair of swans in the water. I think this is the first time I've seen a swan in the wild.

Now the meeting is over, everyone is getting ready to travel home. Some of us ate a last lunch together at a cafe that served whole wheat crêpes, wrapped around meats and vegetables. The cafe's menus were very cool; they had taken comics and graphic novels, and put the menus on the inside of the cover. The rest of the pages were unchanged, and something convenient to read while waiting.

Before we all separated, we sat down in a plaza to talk one last time. The weather was beautiful, except for the ocassional gust of wind. The plaza was close to the cathedral which looms over all the buildings nearby. This is no surprise, since the cathedral was the world's tallest building until 1874.

I'm very sorry I missed my chance to update the blog with an entry yesterday, and I hope you've found this entry enjoyable. But now, it's time for me to eat, and get some sleep. I need to get on the tram again very early in the morning. I'm going to try to take pictures of all the trains and planes again!

PS: I never did find the last thing I forgot.

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