I started my new job only three months ago in September. And as of this moment, I have already been on two business trips to Strasbourg. One of the perks of working for the EU institutions and for the European Parliament in particular.
Do I like going to Strasbourg for three days? Yes, of course, I do. When I was a trainee at the European Parliament in 2018 I went there for the first time and the experience was good, not to say great. I was young, did not know much, everything was new and it was also my first trip to France in general. So all these things came together and I did not really embrace the fact that technically this was my first business trip or a mission as it is called here.
Why going on business trips is so significant to me? On the one hand, I think it is easy to understand why but on the other maybe not, at least not for people who have families with children and who have to go away more than just a couple of times a year. I always did want to work at a place where you had to go on business trips. I don’t mind the travel, the hotels, the lonely nights, and the environmental change. I love it. I like the opportunity to change work environments at least for a couple of days, I like the notion that my job lets me and trusts me to work in a different setting. Of course, there is nothing wrong with working at the same place all the time, but it is even better if you can work from elsewhere as well. I am really happy that I finally have a job where I can have business trips. I will not have them every month but a couple of times a year is more than enough. If more? I am okay with that as well.
So is Strasbourg a nice place to work? Yes, it is, of course. I like the Parliament building, I even like the journey to and from Strasbourg with a high-speed train. When I went on my business trip in October it was the very first time when I sat on a high-speed train, it was also the first time when I was on a train that went through tunnels along the way. A lot of “firsts”. So all the more special.
A little side note. Why the European Parliament has plenary sessions in Strasbourg? Well, according to the European Parliament website the reason is as follows:
“A 1992 decision formalised a situation that already existed at the time and which reflected compromises arrived at over a number of years.
When the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up a few years after WWII, in 1952, establishing joint management of the steel and coal reserves of six countries, including Germany and France, its institutions were located in Luxembourg. The Council of Europe (an intergovernmental body made up of 47 countries championing human rights and culture was also set up in the immediate post-WW2 period), was already based in Strasbourg and it offered its plenary chamber for meetings of the ECSC’s “Common Assembly”, which was to develop into the European Parliament. Strasbourg gradually became the main home of plenary sessions of the Parliament, though additional sessions were also held in Luxembourg in the 1960s and 1970s.
After the creation of the European Economic Community in 1958, much of the work done by the European Commission and the Council of Ministers came to be concentrated in Brussels. Since Parliament’s work involves closely monitoring and interacting with both these institutions, over time Members decided to organise more of their work in Brussels. By the early nineties, the present arrangement was more or less in place, with committees and political groups meeting in Brussels and the main plenary sessions taking place in Strasbourg. A major part of Parliament’s staff is based in Luxembourg.”
Now you know.
I would also like to recommend a place to have dinner if you are in Strasbourg.
The place is called “l’Atelier” and it is located in 31 avenue des Vosges. It is a cozy place with delicious food, polite and professional service, exceptional wine, and an overall French atmosphere. So if you are in need of a place to have dinner then I highly, highly recommend this place.
But for lunch, I’d say a great place is “Kautzmann” at 2 rue du Noyer. Great chocolate, great pastries, and delicious food. So, yes, two places for you to consider if you are in need of recommendations on where to eat. I have not yet found a good coffee place though. But that will come next year. But please don’t ask for recommendations regarding hotels. Just try to book a decent place relatively close to Gare Central and at a relatively decent price. That is my only advice.
Strasbourg is a beautiful city. And I really do love my job.
Kind regards,
Olaaf
