Month: July 2025

I call it bubble architecture. But probably nobody else does.

I’ve said that France is the all time master at turning beautiful historical buildings into hideous monstrosities by encasing parts of them – or sometimes all of them – in giant glass bubbles.  Well, they seem to be getting mildly better at this. But the famous Gare de Strasbourg — or main train station in Strasbourg — is in my view a case where the French got things right!

As of July 2025 it seems all the cornfield in Alsace – everywhere – including in this little area called Dessinheim – are undergoing tremendous irrigation. Probably a side-effect of the European drought. Interestingly, Dessinheim is rather famous — historically — since a famous French combat pilot was shot down and killed here. I’ll post a snap to his memorial in a coming post.

I spotted this fellow just off the side of the road near Neuf-Briesach, probably looking for a warm juicy mouse or — failing that — at least a nice big bug.