I
had a few days of float before I had committed to be back in Amsterdam, so I
stopped by a little town called Strasbourg on the way. Many years ago, a former boss had raved how
beautiful this little town in France was.
So I stopped by for an afternoon.
The old town is indeed very picturesque – canals surround the city, which still has many of its German roots intact. The street signs were usually in both languages and you could hear both spoken on the streets. (I have to admit that I got a little giddy when I heard French all around me again). The architecture is still largely intact from the golden years of the city, and the cathedral is one of the better ones I’ve seen in my European travels. All the tourist shops proudly advertise their pride of the Alsace region. Strangely enough, Strasbourg tourist shops also sell a lot of stork paraphernalia, since it is the mascot of Alsace.
The old town is indeed very picturesque – canals surround the city, which still has many of its German roots intact. The street signs were usually in both languages and you could hear both spoken on the streets. (I have to admit that I got a little giddy when I heard French all around me again). The architecture is still largely intact from the golden years of the city, and the cathedral is one of the better ones I’ve seen in my European travels. All the tourist shops proudly advertise their pride of the Alsace region. Strangely enough, Strasbourg tourist shops also sell a lot of stork paraphernalia, since it is the mascot of Alsace.
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| Not going to lie, I love any city that greets me at the train station with a proper croissant maker. Every other country serves a poor imitation. |
I
enjoyed wandering around a bit, enjoyed the charm, and then retreated to the
warmth of my hotel for the evening. It
was very cold here, and I was still chilled even when I was wearing every layer
that I brought or bought on this trip. I
was grateful for sweater from Houston, the fleece from Billings, the rain
jacket from Oslo, the gloves from Munich.
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| scenic canals and architecture |
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| The wall bridge built between 1200 and 1250, upgraded from wood to brick in the 19th century |
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| They would (and did) shut the doors here to flood the southern part of the city and make in inaccessible to invaders |
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| More scenery |
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| The stained glass windows paid respect to the kings of the Holy Roman Empire In French, it's the Holy Germanic Roman Empire? Maybe that's because everybody in glass is named Otto or Frederick |
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| Outside the cathedral |
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| The main square, with the Kammerzell house in the corner |
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| "Little France" you can see the merchants' coats of arms hanging over the street |
Strasbourg
was a nice stopover on the way to Amsterdam.
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