Alsace near the German border is one of our favorite areas of France. We had not visited since 2009 when we took our study abroad students. Sande and Mike Krieger came back to Paris from their boat in Turkey for another visit. Kate couldn't resist springtime in Paris and arrived last week with Luna. Kelly had some work to do so we left him behind with Luna and the rest of us caught the TGV at Gare de l'Est Friday morning for a two-hour train ride to Strasbourg.
The April weather was beautiful! Upon arrival, we put our bags in the rental car and walked to the Little France area of Strasbourg along the river.
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| Kate in Little France |
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| Sande, Mike and Kate |
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| Little France |
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| Sande and the Swan |
We even saw swans along the river. We turned towards the center of town and the street opened up to the magnificent Strasbourg cathedral made of pink sandstone. The stone came from the Vosges mountains. The cathedral was started in 1015 with romanesque architecture, relaunched in 1190 in the Gothic style, and finished in 1439. The cathedral was described by Victor Hugo as "a gigantic and delicate marvel." It can be seen from the Vosges mountains to the west across the Alsace plains and across the Rhine river from the Black Forest in Germany to the east.
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| Kate and the Cathedral |
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| Cathedral Facade |
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| View from the south side |
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Side of the Cathedral with Sundial at the top
and Clock below |
A Roman settlement called Argentoratum existed on the site of the Strasbourg cathedral in about 12 B.C. The site is at a strategic point where bridges crossed the Rhine and two of its tributaries. The settlement became a major trading center for wine, grain, and later for textiles and luxury products.
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| Kate in the nave |
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| The organ |
The organ was on the side of the nave rather than the back of the cathedral. This opened up the area for a rose window just above the entrance to the cathedral. I loved the unexpected yellows and greens in the stained glass rather than the typical reds and blues.
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| Rose Window and Organ |
The astronomical clock is one of the most famous features of the cathedral.
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| View of Astronomical Clock |
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| Astronomical Clock |
The first astronomical clock was first installed in the cathedral in the 14th century. The current clock dates from 1837. Animated characters move at different hours of the day. One angel sounds the bell while a second turns over an hourglass. Different characters, representing the ages of life (from a child to an old man) parade in front of Death. Apostles pass in front of Christ. All these characters are put into motion daily at 12:30 pm (except Sundays).
We ate lunch at the Maison Kammerzell restaurant built in 1427, on the square in front of the cathedral.
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| Maison Kammerzell |
Mike and I each had the wonderful fisherman's stew special. It was warm enough to enjoy eating outside in the sun. It was a delightful lunch.
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| Maison Kammerzell |
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| Fisherman's Stew |
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| Mike at Maison Kammerzell |
We continued to explore Strasbourg with its charming half-timbered buildings and made time for some gelato from Amorino. Then we headed to the car to drive to Riquewihr.
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| Sande and Kate Strasbourg |
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Framboise et Citron
Gelato |
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| Kate in Strasbourg |
Alsace is an area of France that has gone back and forth between Germany and France. Hence so many German sounding names in the area. Alsace has always been an important vine growing region and there are lots of wine tasting places in the small towns. After the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-1871, Alsace became a part of Germany. This was a huge loss for the citizens of France and the Alsatians. The statue representing Alsace in the Place de la Concorde in Paris was shrouded in black in mourning. It was not until after World War I that Alsace was returned to France permanently.
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| Kate in Riquewihr |
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| Restaurant sign with Stork |
Alsace is also known for its storks, or cigognes in French. They are everywhere in the villages in their signs and their souvenirs.
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| Kate |
There was one main street in Riquewihr and it was quite crowded on a Friday afternoon with tourists. Everywhere you looked there were quaint half-timbered buildings.
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Relais des Moines
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| Au Tire Bouchon Winstub |
A relais is a country inn or restaurant, a place to rest and eat. A moine is a monk. Winstub, means a “wine lounge” and a tire bouchon is a corkscrew. Originally, a Winstub was a room open to the public where wine growers could sell off their surplus wine production. Nowadays, a Winstub is a typical Alsatian restaurant that recreates the Alsatian way of life.
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| Sande and Kate |
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Kate on the main street
in Riquewihr |
A woman was handing out macaroon samples at this cute little shop with small scooters and tractors and cars in the windows. They were what we call coconut macaroons, not Ladurée macarons, and very yummy.
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| Macaroon Shop in Riquewihr |
It was a darling village and just a warm up to the cute little villages we would see in the following days.
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| Leaving Riquewihr |
I love your blog posts. I learned so many things about Alsace! I hope you are able to do more before you leave Paris.
ReplyDeleteThank you! We love France. We will be sad to leave Paris next week.
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