July 4-5, 2024: We flew with Germany's Condor Airlines from Phoenix to Frankfurt for the first time. A few months ago, we saw that Condor started a direct route from Phoenix to Frankfurt, and the business class price was acceptable, so we quickly booked tickets to give it a try. The nine-and-a-half-hour direct flight was exceptionally smooth. In addition to being able to lie flat and sleep comfortably, the service, drinks, and food onboard were excellent, which made the long journey quite pleasant, a stark contrast to the budget Japanese airline Zipair that we flew with a few months ago. The plane arrived at Frankfurt on time, despite the fact that we had been tracking this flight for a couple of weeks, and it had consistently been delayed by one to two hours.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the arrival time, we opted not to book seats for our train ride to Strasbourg, France in advance. Passing through customs was quick and easy, leaving us with about an hour to spare before our train. We headed to the platform early, only to discover that our train was delayed by more than 40 minutes, which meant we would likely miss our connecting train. Luckily, the earlier train of the same route was also delayed by an hour, allowing us to catch it and make our connection with just a few minutes to spare.

Our hotel in Strasbourg was conveniently located just a few minutes walk from the train station. After checking in, we set out in search of some authentic Alsatian food. Our first choice of restaurants was packed both inside and out, as the France vs. Portugal match of the Europe Cup was being broadcast on big screens. We decided to try our second choice instead, which specialized in the local dish, Flammekueche (Flambees). These are flatbreads topped with a creamy sauce and various toppings. We enjoyed three half-flambees and a salad, and they were absolutely delicious.

After dinner, we wandered through the picturesque area of Petite France, known for its charming half-timbered houses, canals, and cobblestone streets. Even late into the night, the sports bars were still buzzing with people watching the game. We retired to our hotel room and caught a bit of the match on TV, but exhaustion soon took over. However, we were awakened by the sound of car horns, which likely meant that France had won the game.

康多尔航空, 法国斯特拉斯堡

七月四，五日：第一次搭乘德国康多尔航空公司的飞机，从凤凰城直飞法兰克福的九个半小时航程非常顺利。几个月前看到这家航空公司开启从凤凰城到法兰克福的直达业务，商务舱价格还能接受, 就赶紧下单想试试这家航空公司。除了一路趟平舒服地睡个好觉，还有飞机上的服务，酒水和食物都很出色，与前二个月刚乘坐过的廉价日本航空公司的Zipair有天囊之别。我们追踪这趟航班已有几个星期，它通常会延误一到两个小时。但令我们惊喜的是，今天的航班准时到达。

我们的目的地并不是法兰克福，而是法国小镇斯特拉斯堡。离家前我们买了欧洲火车通票，但许多火车必须订位。由于飞机到达时间不确定，我们之前没有预订去斯特拉斯堡的火车座位。过海关既简单又快速，我们有一个小时的空余时间来赶火车，正好把位子订上。没有直达火车，中间要换趟车。我们早早来到站台，但发现第一程的火车将延误四十多分钟，这意味着我们肯定要错过转车。很幸运的是，早一班与我们第一段相同行程的火车也延误了一个多小时，这样我们正好能搭上那班火车，并且让我们及时赶上了第二程火车顺利前往斯特拉斯堡。

我们预订的酒店离火车站只有几分钟的步行路程。办理入住手续后，我们外出寻找当地的阿尔萨斯（Alsatian)美食。先去了我们的首选餐厅，但由于正在播放欧洲杯法国对葡萄牙的足球比赛，饭店里里外外都挤满了人，根本没位子。于是我们来到第二选择，尝试了当地特色菜Flambees。Flambee是一种带有奶油酱和各种配料的薄饼，有点像在美国吃的那种薄的披萨。只是这里都不用蕃茄酱，且饼都是超薄。我们点了三种半份的Flambees和一份沙拉，非常美味。

晚餐后，我们在风景如画的小法国区散步，该地区以迷人的木筋屋、运河和鹅卵石街道闻名。入夜后，镇上的各个体育酒吧里依然挤满了观看比赛的人。有些酒吧在店的玻璃墙上放一个大电视，屏幕朝外，这样许多球迷站在店外也能一起看球赛。我们实在太累了，回到酒店房间看了一会儿比赛，但没能坚持看到结束。半夜被街上汽车喇叭声吵醒，猜测可能是法国队赢了球赛。