Strasbourg

Cathedral of Notre Dame and Petite-France Strasbourg, Alsace, France

Thank you psychic artist Jennie Ashwell for sharing your beautiful photos

Strasbourg

Strasbourg is apparently the second most popular city to visit in France after Paris, and it's always been on my to do list.  However, our Rhine mooring opposite a very ordinary block of modern flats gave no hint of the just how beautiful this city is.

Getting into the city from the Rhine:


We found the best way into the city from our mooring was via tram, although you could also walk or take the free shuttle provided by Shearings.

I do love travelling by tram and they all seem to be pretty efficient in this part of Europe. I wouldn't worry about the language either, since everything is pretty clearly marked with tourists in mind. Route maps are posted up inside just like they are at home, together with waiting times on the platform. You certainly don't have long to wait between times.

The tram terminal is only 5 minutes walk away so we decided to pay 7 euros for the return trip to the city centre.

There are two separate machines at the stop: one to pay over the money, and the second to validate your ticket before you get on. (Couldn't fathom out why though). To me the trams were part of the adventure and once we got the hang of the ticket machine, we were all systems go.   


Petite-France

Our aim first of all was to visit the ancient canal system running through the centre of the old town. Once off the tram, we headed towards Notre Dame Cathedral, her spire clearly visible above the other buildings.

We walked round the huge Notre Dame Cathedral towards the ancient city, situated on the River Ile, a tributary of the Rhine. This is where our adventure really began. We hopped onto a boat to tour the waterways, viewing the beautiful timber frames houses hugging the shore line. It's chocolate box territory, and very Germanic in style: flowers streaming from boxes all over the city. This is an area steeped in history, and a boat ride complete with running commentary is just the job to orientate you to the city.


Petite-France, the ancient city, is situated on the Grande Ile, or main island. The river splits into three sections, its waters tumbling through narrow canals and creaking locks.  In times gone by, this created just the right conditions for the many tannery watermills perched on the water front. Because of the geography its also somewhere that could be strongly defended.  There are four gruesome looking towers straddling the river to prove it. Strasbourg is situated in Alsace, France, However this region has always been hotly disputed, hence the strong German influence. Strasbourg manages to combine ancient and modern with effortless style as an integral part of the European Committee.  

 It is, interestingly enough the place where the French Marseillaise was composed in double quick time over one April night.


Notre-Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg is the second most popular cathedral to visit in France, after the acclaimed cathedral of the same name in Paris itself.  It is a magnificent centre piece for the rest of the city but has a very chequered history having been  engulfed by flames on several occasions.  It dominates a huge square surrounded by yet more ancient wooden framed buildings, many of which are now cafes and restaurants.


Food, glorious food:

Food comes highly recommended and there are any number of cafes and restaurants to choose from  We stopped off at the Hotel Rohan Rue du Maroquin for some lunch on their terrace.  Hubby had some of the local Liqorne beer, whilst I had some Gewurztraminer wine to wash down 'tarte a l'oignon', an all time favourite of mine. I didn't realise until that day in Strasbourg just how much Alsatian food we ate all those years ago in Basel, but then again the lady of the house was French.












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