Day 53 – Strasbourg (Tuesday 4th June 2024)

Well, with all the dramas of the last couple of days behind us (for the time being) we were looking forward to a normal day. We made breakfast at the hotel with about 20 minutes to spare then headed out to explore Strasbourg. First stop was the tram stop just near the hotel. Strasbourg is served by an integrated tram and bus network that travel on six different routes identified as A to F for the trams and G to H for the bus. At a really easy to use machine at the trams stop we bought a 24hr pass for €4.80ea. With this we can hop on and off trams and busses all day long. The first tram ride took us down past the Cathedral by one stop because we missed the stop. Walking back Kerry fell on an uneven piece of pavement drawing a bit of blood from her thumb. She battled on.

The Cathédrale de Strasbourg is a massive building in the heart of the old town. Reaching high above the town the Cathedral serves as a reference point from all parts of the city and the surrounding countryside. It’s different to other cathedrals insofsar as it’s not in a place where it stands out on the landscape. One could almost say that it’s hemmed in by the other buildings that surround it on all sides. The forecourt is a small, cobble-stoned square line with cafes and other places of business. The facade of the red sandstone building is adorned with countless sculptures large and small. There is not a square mm that doesn’t have a sculpture on it. Undeniably, it’s an unbeatable setup for folks to enjoy a coffee in the morning and a beer and meal at lunch-time or in the evening. The cathedral, its ornate facade and its towering spire are right there in your face.

 

 

Built between 1015 and 1439 (yes, that 424 years) the architectural style, not surprisingly, changed from Romanesque (an early Gothic style) to French Gothic (a very refined Gothic style). At 142m it was the tallest building in the world from 1647 until 1874. Today it still ranks as the 6^th tallest church and the tallest church built entirely in the Middle Ages a title, I guess, it will hold until it falls down. The church was originally designed and constructed under the auspices of the Protestant church. It has just one spire in the northern corner even though it’s original design called for two. Apparently money was getting tight and it was thought that what they had left would be better spent looking after the poor people – plus Protestants have always been and austere lot so a second steeple was getting a bit pretentious anyway. In 1547 the Roman Catholics got control of the cathedral. The front facade is dominated by a huge 12m diameter rose window consisting of 16 petals. Inside, it’s hard to describe the height of the ceiling, the numerous arches and columns that hold it all up and the enormous stained-glass windows that flank either side. And it can all be admired for free!

In the back corner of the church is a huge 18m tall astronomical clock that still works and accurately describes much more than the official time. It also indicates solar time, the day of the week (each represented by a god of mythology), the month, the year, the sign of the zodiac, the phase of the moon and the position of several planets. The lower part of the massive base of the clock has statues of Apollo and the Goddess Diana presenting a circular calendar of the liturgical year, whose revolving face with a globe points to the dates of major religious festivals and events.The midday bell rang so we all evicted before we could finish admiring this awesome building.

Not far from the Cathedral in Gutenberg Square, named after the clever chap who invented the printing press, is a beautiful, ornate carousel. Just like I can't resist a good tower climb, Kerry can't resist a good carousel ride. So for the princely sum of €3.00 we took a ride on this 124 year old mechanical marvel. We were definitely the biggest kids in board!

 

 

Strasbourg is connected to the Rhine by a series of canals, both big and small, creating a city of islands that extends out into the Nuestatdt (the bit that’s not the Altstadt) and beyond for miles around in every direction. If any city can claim to have a “little Venice” then Strasbourg has a fair claim. Locks and barrages control the flow of the water through the system. Every where are bridges that provide access from one part to the next. Down by the main canal is the famous area known as Petite France. Once the home to the tanners, coopers and fishermen. It was the place where large warehouses once stood to store all the goods that were moving up and down the Rhine. Back in the day, it was the worst part of the city as the waterfront parts of cities where trade is focused generally are. The home to sights and sounds and smells and professions usually of an unpleasant nature. “Petite France” suggests the name of a place that is small, quaint and pretty, which it most certainly is, but the name had been used to describe the area for much longer than the recent tourism boom for very different reasons that I won’t go into here. The canals are lined with shady trees and walking paths, potted geraniums adorn the houses and the bridges and the small parks and the cobble-stoned lanes meander amongst the brightly coloured half-wooden houses. Restaurants and cafes abounds and interspersed with all this are public institutions such as schools and churches and the odd palace here and there.

 

 

A well promoted part of Petite France is its covered bridges (Pont Couvert) which are not covered at all and haven’t been so since the 18^th century. A+ for marketing! There is, however, the Vauban Barrage which is a structure across the main canal that can be used to control the flow of water. From afar we spied people on the top of it, clearly tourists because they were wandering aimlessly across the structure, so set off to find how we could join them. The Barrage turns out to be a pretty good imitation of a covered bridge with a long covered passage just above the waterline and step up to the roof where there is an excellent view of Petite France and its waterways and the Cathedral beyond.

 

We strolled through Strasbourg back past the Cathedral looking for the tram servicing Route E. That’s the route that takes one into the European Parliament precinct. The walk was a bit further than it looked on my transport map do a stop for an ice-cold slurpee, enjoyed down by the river, was in order before we boarded the tram. Travelling through what is a very nice, green precinct with broad roads and important public buildings we found ourselves at the Droit de L’Homme stop – where the International Human Rights Commission lives. Back across yet another waterway we could see the building where the European Parliament sits. To get away from all this modern glass and steel but nonetheless impressive buildings we headed form the peace and tranquillity of the very nearby Parc de l’Orangerie by the Canal de la Marne au Rhin. Beautiful ancient Elm trees line the broad stone pathways that wind through the park. Large open lawned spaces provide a place for people picnic on a blanket or for an informal game of volleyball. Except for a few long avenues nothing much is in a straight line which enhances the wonder and the mystery of the place. At the heart of the park, standing amongst large lawns and manicured rose gardens is the impressive Pavillion Josephine, named after the wife of Emperor Napoleon I. Now a large event space it was originally built to protect the city’s orange trees from the depths of the Alsatian winters.

 

 

While circling the Pavillion Josephine we noticed stork in a tree-top – pretty exciting. Stopping to take a photo there was another and another. Everywhere one looked there were storks in their great big nests on the tops of all the surrounding trees. Upon close inspection the trees had been sculptured to facilitate their nests. Gazing further afield storks were also nesting on the rooftop and the many chimney's of the Pavillion Josephine. There has been a concerted effort to restore the population of storks in the Alsace since their continued presence was recognised as a dire problem in the early seventies. With ice-cream in hand (the best in Strasbourg according to one local patron) we found a comfortable park-bench by a lawn and rose garden in front of the Pavillion Josephine and bathed in the glorious sunshine while we watched the storks go about their daily rituals.

 

 

 

From the Parc de l’Orangerie we took the tram back to the Republique stop where we changed for the D line to Kehl on the other bank of the Rhine in Germany. This route took us in amongst the “real” people of Strasbourg. No leafy green avenues here, just the urban jungle. The people we met along the way were mothers with babys, grandmothers and grandfathers, school children and youths, all going about their day. The tram crossed the Rhine and stopped at the Rathaus, the end of the line. We stayed on and in10 minutes it began its return journey to Strasbourg. We stayed on the D line until its last stop before the station. A short walk from here we stopped at the Le Rive Gauche near our hotel for drink to finish off a big and interesting day.