As a region, Alsace has changed between German and French occupation numerous times and therefore it allowed me to explore the two languages and cultures side by side.
I flew to Baden-Baden in Germany and was collected by my trip leader who drove me across the border into France. For the first week, I would be based in a town called Lampertsloch in Alsace.
My first dinner in Alsace was probably the most challenging as both French and German and sometimes even Alsatian (a dialect spoken in Alsace) were spoken over the course of the meal – although Alison, my host, preferred to speak German, her husband Mark spoke primarily French or Alsatian and the friends they invited round for dinner only spoke French!