Travels with Alyx: July 11, Saarbrucken

I took a walk around Saarbrucken today to explore the place where we will be staying for the next few days. I'm not as enamored with This city as I have been with the last two. The buildings are much more modern; there's not as much traditional German character in the architecture here. We took an hour long bus ride to Gershiem to the Spohns Ecological Training Center. This school encourages sustainability and green principles in daily life. Students and their teachers come there for a week to learn how to make better choices for our environment and become conscientious consumers. The school consists of three buildings, including the work space and the dormitory. We take part in a lecture and a question and answer session with the instructor who is in charge of the training program. We have lunch in their lunchroom, indulging in locally grown seasonal produce. The food here is delicious. As part of their green beliefs, they purchase mostly free trade and organically grown products. They also have their own garden and compost pile! In the afternoon we visit EURES to learn about cross border mobility in the European Union. We attend a presentation hosted by two advisors of EURES who explain both the benefits and difficulties involved with commuters who live in one country and work in another. EURES is a free service that will provide you with advice and assistance to help you find a job in another EU member country. There is free movement of labor in the 28 EU countries as well as the European colonies. Citizens of EU member countries have the right to live in the country where they work. The Saar- Lor- Lux region consists of six regions in four countries: Germany, France, Luxembourg and Belgium, and involves about 213,000 commuter workers. After we returned to Saarbrucken, I walked with a small group to the schloss. It wasn't quite as impressive as Schloss Heidelberg. We went to Spicheren, France and had dinner in the French countryside. I have never had this much wine to drink before in my life! I freely admit that I was a little past tipsy, but since there is no video or photo evidence, I will always have plausible deniability. (I wish I could remember the name of that wine, though. It was fantastic!) We were supposed to have dinner with a member of the European Parliament, but at the last minute she was unable to make it. For dinner I had blanc de poulet, creme et champignons- which is chicken with mushrooms in a white sauce, and creme brûlée for dessert. I also tried frog legs, which I know is a southern thing, not just a French thing, but I had never tried them before. I wasn't quite brave enough to attempt the escargot, however. Everything was delicious. In between dinner and dessert we took a short walk among the historical monuments in the countryside. I was thrilled to discover a left over bunker that was part of the Maginot Line tucked off among some trees.