25th Anniversary Tour in the Heart of Europe

It is nine o’clock in the morning on September 16, 2022, and 23 employees have gathered at the Sihlquai bus park in Zurich. The excitement is great, the joy about the upcoming anniversary trip is written on their faces. About three hours were planned for the trip to Strasbourg. The physical well-being was taken care of. If the breakfast was already longer back, there was coffee and croissants in the bus.

Strasbourg is not one of the top travel destinations in Europe, but the city in Alsace has a lot to offer with its diversity: the Liebfrauenmünster, the tanners’ quarter “La Petite France” or the Kaiserviertel. Strasbourg is also home to numerous EU institutions such as the Council of Europe, of which Switzerland is a member, and the European Court of Human Rights.

Prepare tarte flambée yourself
“Sur la route en France”, our bus trip took us first to the Chateau de Pourtalès. Built in 1750, the Chateau had hosted musicians, philosophers and poets such as Albert Schweitzer, Franz Liszt or Napoleon III. Just in time for lunchtime, we hungrily followed the host’s explanations of how to prepare an Alsatian tarte flambée before lending a hand ourselves. The basis was a thinly rolled out base of bread dough, which we spread with a cream of sour cream and then topped with raw onions, bacon, mushrooms or chives. For dessert, we had sweet tarte flambée topped with apples and cinnamon. “C’était délicieux.”

Explore Strasbourg by water
In the late afternoon we changed perspective and explored Strasbourg by water. On the 60-minute boat trip, we received information about the city and its history via audio guide. The trip offered various highlights and took us over locks to “La Petite France”, past covered bridges to the Rhine Palace or the European Quarter. To end the day, we enjoyed a traditional dinner at Brasserie le Haras, a restaurant in a former 18th century stud farm.

City rally through Strasbourg
It is eight thirty on this September day and autumn cold. In five groups and equipped with questionnaires, we explored Strasbourg in a city rally. Among other things, we solved riddles about the Liebfrauenmünster and the tanners’ quarter “La Petite France”. We also tasted chocolate and gingerbread specialties, sniffed healing tinctures and guessed different types of cheese. Thrilled by the morning’s experiences and glad for some warmth, we enjoyed the subsequent lunch at the Picobello restaurant. Afterwards, we continued by bus along the Alsatian wine route, where the next surprise awaited us.

With engine noise to Hohkönigsburg Castle
Not only the sunny weather surprised us, but also the Saurer Alpine Carriage. With a lot of engine noise and nostalgic feelings we drove with the carriage up to the Hohkönigsburg, built in the 12th century. We dived into the Middle Ages and explored the outer castle, drawbridges, armories, spiral staircases and cannons. The view from almost 800m above sea level was breathtaking, so we saw far over the Rhine plain to the Kaiserstuhl. With engines roaring, we headed back down into the valley and continued on our way to Riquewihr. Known for its cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses with wine shops, we enjoyed the ambience there and rounded off the day in the restaurant D’Brendelstub.

Pedaling through Strasbourg
Early in the morning at nine o’clock, it being our last day of travel, it was time to pedal hard. Our “Tour de Strasbourg” led through the Imperial Quarter of the New Town to the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights. Here was the opportunity to take the perfect team photo. Along the river Ill, we drove back through the old town, past the locks to the hotel. “Adieu Strasbourg”, it was time to say goodbye. Equipped with a lunch, we started our return journey to Zurich by bus.

This 25th anniversary trip, filled with exciting experiences, great conversations and happy faces, will remain in our memories. And because it was so great, we can look forward to where our next anniversary trip will take us.

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