Exploiting the Franco-German border

One of the advantages of living in Strasbourg is being only a 20 min bus ride away from the Germany border town of Kehl.

That means students especially can take advantage of deals that Deutscheban (the German national train service) offers, since SNCF (the French national train line) doesn't really have as much 'deals'. Also, the price of food is cheaper in Germany for those who are willing to undergo a bus ride back to France carrying groceries...

Something I've noticed: Once you cross the border, the differences are starkly apparent - there's no diffusion or a gradual change from one country to another. When you're in France or Germany, or Switzerland border stations, you'll know you're in another country entirely because everything from language to products sold to gas prices to culture, and even weather does change. Definitely something I wasn't expecting - but despite the whole European Union and integration that's been happening here in Europe, polls and studies show that Europeans are more nationalistic and then only 'European'. brings into questions about what begin European really is, and the whole debate over national soverignty versus Europe as a state, and what will or will not happen if either occurs. but more on that later.