Strasbourg, France

After we had driven the Black Forest Ridgeway, which took us from Freudenstadt to Baden Baden, we decided to drive over to Strasbourg, France. We didn't know anything about the city, other than the fact that it's featured on a lot of the European river cruise itineraries. But it was just an hour away and we figured if we were that close, it was worth a hop over the border.

Now here's a motorway sign you don't see everyday. One way goes to the German city of Baden Baden, and the other is a way toward Paris, France, or Basel, Switzerland. Three countries represented on a single road sign. :-)

Corn. They grow a lot of corn in Germany.

We stopped for a quick bite to eat in Kehl, Germany, before making our way toward the French border. We had to cross the Rhine River. As we approached, we saw this fancy bridge under construction.

Here's a view from the current bridge.

Look! It's France!

A shot as we crossed the Rhine River.

As we drove into Strasbourg, we were most unimpressed. It was just another dirty urban area. But as we followed the GPS instructions, we suddenly found ourselves here:

There's nothing like the appearance of an aged church tower to lift one's spirits. Or at least my spirits. I do love an old church!

As we drover further, we found ourselves in the historic city center. We parked in a multi-story garage as close to the church as possible and began a very pleasant stroll. Strasbourg dates back to the Roman era. It was a military outpost called Argentoratum. The post was first mentioned in 12 BC, and Strasbourg celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1988! A lot happens in two thousand years, so I'll just mention that Strasbourg was annexed by France as part of the Treaty of Versailles following World War I in 1919.

France also featured a lot of buildings festooned with beautiful flowers.

A canal with tour boats.

I loved this old pub sign.

I am going to assume this building dates back to the medieval period or thereabouts based on its sagging posture. It reminded me of similar buildings in Stratford-upon-Avon in England.

Here is some more of that juxtaposition I love between the cathedral, which dates back to the 11th Century, and the more modern buildings in the foreground. Not that those buildings are all that new.

A lovely square in the historic city center. I was intrigued by the large number of dormers in the roof.

I don't know who this statue represents. The pattern of the discoloration made it look like an Ood from "Doctor Who." That greatly amused me.

A double-decker carousel.

Just another crowded street. July and August are the peak travel months because schools are on summer break. So the city was teeming with people. A lot of my photos look squat because I was cropping out peoples' heads.

One of the cathedral's entrances. We wanted to take a tour of the interior, but the ticket queue wrapped around the building. We decided we would do it another time - when school is in session and the temperature is a bit cooler.

I quite liked the building on the far left. Everyone else, aside from the cathedral, is done in a light, creamy color. But that one is orange with a lot of dark brown accent work. Huzzah to those brave enough to shun the crowd.

Just about all of the buildings are insanely charming and picturesque.

Another street of shops and tourists.

A slightly more complete shot of the Strasbourg Cathedral. While this site has been home to some type of religious building since the Roman occupation, the first stone of this cathedral was laid in 1015 by Bishop Werner of Habsbourg. The cathedral wasn't completed until 1439. This facade was begun in 1277.

A close-up of some of the incredible detailing.

There's that building again!

Since we weren't able to go inside, we spent a lot of time exploring the exterior. Gargoyles are carved grotesques that serve as water spouts. The water flows out of their mouths rather than down the side of the building, thereby preventing erosion on the wall. The cathedral has a variety of gargoyles.

Another pair of gargoyles.

And another pair.

The cathedral is undergoing a fairly extensive rejuvenation project. So there is a lot of scaffolding.

I asked Steve (who was manning the camera because the zoom lens doesn't have a stabilizer and I kept jiggling) to take a photo of this fellow because he looked regal. It wasn't until I was looking at the photos on my iPad that I realized that the horse is anatomically correct! Talk about detail!

I believe this might be the nave.

The front facade of what I think is the nave. Complete with who I believe to be a homeless man suffering from a terrible cold. Poor guy.

Some of the detail work above the door.

One of the city center's narrow streets.

To me, this building screams France. It reminded me a lot of the buildings in Paris.

The cathedral's lone tower from a different angle. We found it very unusual for the cathedral to have just one tower. Every one we've seen has had at least two.

Ignore the cigarette butts. I thought this downspout was cute.

Here you can get a much better appreciation of the cathedral's size.

A shot along the canal. I love trees, but the ones along that bridge kind of ruined the shot. I think it would have been so nice to be able to see the buildings behind them.

Looking the other way up the canal.

Another flowery building.

The canal from the bridge.

And the final shot: Remember I mentioned that we only knew Strasbourg as being a popular destination for river cruises? The biggest name in river cruising that we know of is Viking Cruises. We were tickled to see this Viking River cruise boat on our way out of the city.

We enjoyed our afternoon in Strasbourg. We will definitely come and visit again.