Cycling Strasbourg
Mum - here’s another post just for you…
On Friday 29 Feb, Storm Emma brought strong winds across Germany, so Mikey and I avoided driving through the Schwarzwald (and falling tree branches) and took the bad-traffic route around the top of the Black Forest to get to Strasbourg, France.
We arrived in France in the rain, but were pleased to find our hotel was in an excellent location facing the Cathedral, the city’s centrepiece. We settled into our shoebox…I mean…hotel room (which made up for its size by being very clean) and then wandered the town.
The City’s Cathedral
Before long, we realised our French phrasebook was pretty useless when it came to decoding menus, but we managed to find an excellent restaurant (with an English menu) and had one of the best meals we’ve had in a long time. Plus the wine was exceptional.
We spent Saturday walking around with a handheld audio guide from the tourist office, which took us on a tour of the Cathedral, main streets and into the old part of town.
The Cathedral was an impressive building, housing a huge astronomical clock. If you buy a ticket (we didn’t), you can view the clock come to life at 12.30pm everyday, with figurines of the apostles popping out of doors, lots of things turning and chimes sounding (according to the audio guide).
The Cathedral’s astronomical clock
As we listened to the stories of how the locals lived all those years ago, we gazed upon the beauty that is the Petit France (old part of town).
Petit France
After trying a Flammkuchen for lunch (traditional German food consisting of thin bread dough covered by crème fraîche, onions, and bacon), we hired some bikes and cycled to the Seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and the European Court of Human Rights. It was a great day for a ride and we were lucky to enjoy a rain-free afternoon. And after working up an appetite, we enjoyed a dinner of savoury crepes.
Seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg
We spent a quiet Sunday having coffee and visiting the Petit France again, and then climbed the Cathedral’s tower to take in some views of Strasbourg before heading back to Tubingen.
View of Strasbourg