September 26, 2002

Autumn arrived in Strasbourg like the Department of Public Safety on a Saturday night: quick, unexpected, and somewhat unwelcome. After two weeks of gorgeous weather, the Centre-in-Strasbourg group awoke last week to find someone had forgotten to put a log on the fire. The traditional Kentucky fall, softened by college football and changing leaves, was replaced by rain, a regular class schedule, rail travel, and more rain.

Having completed a three-week intensive course in survival French and regional history, the Centre group embarked on a weekend excursion to Paris. This proved to be quite a change from previous visits to the quiet castle ruins above Heidelburg and the relaxing Roman baths in Baden-Baden. Paris is absolutely enormous, and more than one traveler displayed Metro navigational skills that failed to threaten Magellan’s legacy, to say the least.