Strasbourg

 Since the ship could not sail to Strasbourg due to the blocking of the river by 2 ships colliding, we start out after breakfast with a coach bus ride to Strasbourg.  The sunrise was beautiful.

 

 

Waiting for us in Strasbourg was our local guide, who would take us on a guided walk into the Old Town.

The City Hall

The Old Town of Strasbourg is an island which is encircled with canals and the Ill River.

 

The Janus Fountain, looking like an aquaduct, was created to signify where the Roman occupation occurred.

With faces on both sides, it depicts the double identity of the city--French and German

We walked through a marketplace and turned down this street and caught our first view of the tower of the Cathedrale de Notre-Dame.

As we got closer we could start to see the intricate designs carved onto this Gothic church.

And then we walked around to the front of the cathedral.  It was definitely an "OH MY" moment.  This cathedral has survived many wars.  An earlier church was burned down in the 12th century.  This church was then built with the wealth derived from Strasbourg's trade, as it was in the crossroads of Europe and had access to the Rhine.

The carvings are very intricate and appear as a lacy covering over the building.

The rose window is 36 feet wide.  Its golden wheat symbolizes the fertile land in this area.

Our walk continued, but we will return to the cathedral on our free time after lunch so that we can climb the 466 foot tower and go inside the cathedral.

A picturesque canal

Always, a great photo stop.

And, of course, a selfie.

We all had lunch at a local restaurant and then it was free time for us to explore on our own.

We chose to go back to the cathedral and climb the tower.

We found the entry to buy tickets to climb the tower.  There are 326 steps to reach the top.

We pause part way up to take a photo....or maybe it was to catch our breath.

And continue the climb to reach another viewpoint.

Finally we are at the top, which is not really the top of the tower, but it is as far as we can go.  The platform and its panoramic view has been attracting visitors from all over the world since the Middle Ages.

In 1439, the tower became the tallest monument in Europe reaching 466 feet.

The views over Strasbourg and the Rhine were amazing.

The door to the tower's spiral steps has a Stone Album on the wall.  The inscriptions carved in stone form a real stone album.  The oldest surviving inscription dates back to 1552.  The guards were often former stone masons and had the task of welcoming visitors who came to admire the panoramic view.  Some of them would carve visitors' names in exchange for a tip.  This practice was banned in the 19th century and replaced with visitor books made freely available to the public.

Then it was time to head back down the spiral steps of the tower.

 

Since the ship was not docked in Strasbourg, time was running short on us as we would need to board the bus soon to return to Speyer.

But we did have a few minutes to make a whirlwind tour of the inside of the cathedral.

 

The stained glass is 80 percent original surviving from the 12th to 15th centuries.

The scenes on the stained glass show various rulers of Strasbourg and Bible stories.

The cathedral's windows traveled a lot during WWII.  They were hidden in France, then taken to northern Germany by the Nazis, and finally saved by the Monument Men (loved that movie), the British and American troops dedicated to returning art to its rightful place after 1945.

The astronomical clock from the 1500s was a wonder of its age.

The pillar of the angels from the 14th century.

And then it was time to exit and meet our group for the walk to the bus.  We were hoping that the ship would be able to sail when we returned.  But the river was still blocked and word was that it would be several days before it was opened for river traffic again.  

In just one day there were 80+ ships waiting to travel the river.  There would be lots more before the river would reopen.  The blockage of the 2 ships caused the sandbar to shift and the river would have to be dredged to get it deep enough for the ships.

To continue reading, scroll down and click on "Newer Post" to find out how our trip itinerary changed.