Home sick...?
I had to go to Strasbourg today for a quickie at work, and as I had some free time in-between, I took it as an opportunity to settle a few administrative matters that had been pending for quite some time. I didn't have money for more than the planned bus trip and didn't want to go get money at an ATM just for this, so I decided to walk. I now remember better how I managed to lose weight, a few years ago, without too much effort - I used to walk all the time! From the dorm to the cramming classes school, from school to the restaurant or the public library... My sphere of living was contained in what we call the "Small Belt" (the central island in Strasbourg), in which there is absolutely no bus services, thus walking and biking were the only options, and I was perfectly fine with them, as every place I needed to go to was in a range of 30 or 40 minutes of walk from home at the most, including the railroad station. Of course, I'm super happy now to have a car and be able to drive; however, I miss this constant exercise, it was much more pleasant and easier than going to a gym on purpose just to get some exercise.
Unfortunately, today's walk also made me realize how much I'm missing Strasbourg. It's weird, because I DO like the place I live now; I like it very much, our house is nice, the village is quiet, the surroundings are pleasant and I can drive to whenever I need to go, yet Strasbourg still holds a very special meaning in my heart. I can honestly say that even after 3 years, I'm still homesick, perhaps even more than right after we moved to the present area. I don't know if I miss the town itself or the memories of my time as a student... I think it's both, with an edge on the town. I loved the Krutenau area, the quays, the cathedral (gosh, I'll never forget the day we sang in there... the acoustics were so beautiful that I could've cried...), the FEC restaurant, being within 20 minutes of walk at most from my friends, the evenings at Mina's or Miki's apartments, our flat in Neudorf, the fitness center I used to go to, the kick-ass "palace" where I had my History classes, the Marc Bloch University, the Farfafouilles shop where I'd go fulfill my cravings of manga and comics, the park at the Esplanade where I'd go jogging with Christelle and her mini-dog, the Christmas Market, being able to go to the office by bike instead of having to rely on cars or public transportation...
Yeah, that's it. I really like where I live now, but I'd still like being back in Strasbourg... and I'm torn between these possibilities, as I sure as hell don't want to live far from my BF. I can only hope that this feeling of nostalgia will dwindle with time, else I won't stop being torn. Argh.
It's pretty weird. I've never held such feelings for the homes where I grew up, even though they're still the place where I spent the most years in my life, comparatively. Strasbourg, however... I guess it may simply be because it's where I started to build "MY" life, as an adult, as an independent person... Nothing will ever erase this fact, nor the fact that the center of Strasbourg is a very pretty place, from a purely architectural point of view.
Unfortunately, today's walk also made me realize how much I'm missing Strasbourg. It's weird, because I DO like the place I live now; I like it very much, our house is nice, the village is quiet, the surroundings are pleasant and I can drive to whenever I need to go, yet Strasbourg still holds a very special meaning in my heart. I can honestly say that even after 3 years, I'm still homesick, perhaps even more than right after we moved to the present area. I don't know if I miss the town itself or the memories of my time as a student... I think it's both, with an edge on the town. I loved the Krutenau area, the quays, the cathedral (gosh, I'll never forget the day we sang in there... the acoustics were so beautiful that I could've cried...), the FEC restaurant, being within 20 minutes of walk at most from my friends, the evenings at Mina's or Miki's apartments, our flat in Neudorf, the fitness center I used to go to, the kick-ass "palace" where I had my History classes, the Marc Bloch University, the Farfafouilles shop where I'd go fulfill my cravings of manga and comics, the park at the Esplanade where I'd go jogging with Christelle and her mini-dog, the Christmas Market, being able to go to the office by bike instead of having to rely on cars or public transportation...
Yeah, that's it. I really like where I live now, but I'd still like being back in Strasbourg... and I'm torn between these possibilities, as I sure as hell don't want to live far from my BF. I can only hope that this feeling of nostalgia will dwindle with time, else I won't stop being torn. Argh.
It's pretty weird. I've never held such feelings for the homes where I grew up, even though they're still the place where I spent the most years in my life, comparatively. Strasbourg, however... I guess it may simply be because it's where I started to build "MY" life, as an adult, as an independent person... Nothing will ever erase this fact, nor the fact that the center of Strasbourg is a very pretty place, from a purely architectural point of view.