Strasbourg April 8, 2023
I had forgotten how much I enjoy river cruises! After a delicious breakfast (at least Jeff's looked delicious), we boarded our motorcoach for a drive through the German Imperial District and the European Quarter, home of many institutions of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
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| European Union Building |
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| Parliament Building |
The Renaissance architecture was truly remarkable and beautiful as we made our way to the city center, where we got off the bus for a walking tour of a picturesque part of the city known as the Petite France area, then on to the former Tanners' District which is surrounded by the small Ill River and crisscrossed by charming canals.
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| Petite France |
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| Maison des Tanneurs (Tanners House) |
We saw the old Customs House and the covered bridges with their defensive towers.
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| Ancienne Douanne (Old Customs House) |
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| Ponts Couvets (Covered Bridges) |
From there, we walked to Cathedral Square, stopping along the way while our guide, Octave, pointed out important buildings.
Our stroll continued to Gutenberg Square, where we viewed the magnificently restored Strasbourg Cathedral that towers above merchant houses. Strasbourg Cathedral, one of the finest of Europe's great Gothic cathedrals, was the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874. It hosts a gorgeous Gothic rosette window and a magnificent red sandstone portal.
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| Bubbles in the Square |
A highlight was the remarkable astronomical clock. It harkened us back to the one we saw in Prague back in 2018 and the one we saw just last summer in Gdansk, Poland.
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| The base of the Guttenberg Statue |
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| Easter Market in Strasbourg |
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| Gutenberg Statue |
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| View from the top of the Cathedral |
Jeff did an optional tour called From the Top of the Cathedral, so he had an "opportunity" to climb the 317 steps to the top of the cathedral, where he took the photo above. He reports, "It almost killed me!"
We drove along the Parc de l'Orangerie, which is a center for reproduction and repopulation of the Cigognes blanche (white storks), where you can see storks up close. The storks go to Africa in the winter but return each year in April or May to lay their eggs and have babies. The storks are the symbol of Alsace and may be spotted occasionally nesting on top of rooftops or chimneys in the city and are seen as a bearer of good fortune and fertility.
Storks are mute, but they communicate by clattering their bills. This can be quite loud and interesting to hear.
Along the way back to the ship, we stopped to view this war memorial that touched my heart. It shows a mother and her two sons both killed in the war.
There is a beautiful flower garden in front of the memorial.
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| A closer view of the statue. |
We returned to the ship for lunch and a short rest before our second excursion of the day - an Alsatian Wine Tasting. Aimee's former husband, Marty, had family members who came from Alsace (I believe his mother Evelyn's family was from there), and whenever we were with his family, we were served delicious Alsatian white wines. On this excursion, we learned that Alsace is world-renowned for its viticulture, partially due to its dry mild climate, favorable soils, and ideal vineyard exposures. Its location creates a blend of Germanic and Roman influences and tells a story started by the wine-producing Romans. The Alsatian white wines rival the crisp Rieslings of neighboring Germany. We drove through the wine country to a small winery, Domaine Buchert, where we toured the winery and the cellars before sitting down in "the kitchen" for a wonderful tasting.
Owner and winemaker Noelle Bachert pours glasses of sparkling white wine to welcome us to the vineyard.
We went down into the wine cellar, where Noelle explained that the casks are very old and are used for fermentation but not for flavoring the wine. She described the process of scrubbing the casks after each season's bottling.
Noelle poured five additional samples of her wines for us - two Pinot Gris (one was far drier than the other), a Gewürztraminer, which was a bit too sweet for my taste, and a Klevener de Heiligenstein. This Klevener de Heiligenstein was my favorite. As I brought the glass to my nose, I breathed in the scent of pears. I swirled the wine in my glass and then sipped. A hint of pears crossed my palate - but just a hint. It was truly delicious. I asked about the grapes used in the wine. Noelle said that the wine is only made in Alsace from pink-skinned Savagnin rose grapes, which is a variety in the Traminer family but is far less aromatic than the Gewürztraminer. The designation is only allowed for selected vineyards in the villages of Bourgheim, Gertwiller, Goxwiller, Heiligenstein, and Obernai (which is the village we were in).
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| Cheese Shop |
We returned to our ship with time for a brief rest before it was time for dinner. I had also forgotten how busy we were on the river cruise - especially if you did more than one excursion in a day!
For dinner, both Jeff and I enjoyed the short ribs with root vegetables. I also told my waitress that I would have two bites of the chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. She replied, "Oh good! I will eat the rest for you!"
Tomorrow ... Speyer, Germany!
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