Strasbourg, the capital of the Elsass region on the border of France and Germany, is a wonderful old city and I feel very lucky to have been taken here for the continuation of my birthday celebrations. Compact and photogenic, she knows how to charm you in just a few days. Neither of us had been here before and we hope to go back again soon.
The drive from Bern took about 2.5 hours. We arrived at lunch time on Friday and left Sunday morning, stopping at Chateau du Haut-Königsbourg in Orschwiller, France, on the way home (where we had cake for lunch. How decadent. This birthday weekend has been all about the sweet stuff!).
It would have been wonderful to speak some French (Leo does and he did a great job) but overall we managed well with German and English. We ate and drank too much and also overdid it on the walking – my feet and legs are still a bit sore from all the cobblestones.
Highlights include the incredible cathedral, the crowing of the rooster at the astronomical clock display, the boat cruise and a new toy – we bought an olloclip attachment for my phone so I can take wide, fish eye and macro photos now. Very exciting!
So enough from me, I’ll hand over to the photos to tell the story.
Wishing you a wonderful day.
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When we arrived on Friday, Strasbourg greeted us with beautiful sunshine …
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It’s impossible to miss the incredible Strasbourg Cathedral. Its foundations were built 1000 years ago.
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In front of the cathedral. Love the architecture
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Details on the church
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A skull and bones at the bottom of this artwork in the cathedral
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We walked up (and down!) to the viewing platform 66 metres above ground
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Checking out the view, and loving the sunshine …
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Up high with hardly a cloud in the sky …
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Despite the steel bars, we still felt a bit giddy
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We stumbled across this great little square with many others enjoying a Friday afternoon bevy in the sun …
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Leo enjoying our first beer in Strasbourg
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A dress with my name on it. It was in the window of a world beer shop
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I enjoyed the higgledy-piggledy architecture
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It’s easy to walk around the city with a constant water view. The boats on the other side were funky bars
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Apparently I’m giving a concert soon!
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Place de la Republique
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One of the cruising boats on the Ill
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This region of the city, La Petit France, is the most photographed
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Lots of traditional restaurants around here
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The view from our hotel room …
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And the view below our window. The city is circled by the Ill river
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The book market is set up nice and early on Saturdays
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Then we found the antique and fresh produce market. We bought some bread and yoghurts for breakfast to eat by the river
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Street scene
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These two ducks came to say hello. And beg for some bread. The male took a piece out of my hand but the female was too nervous
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The blue and yellow shell sign means this is part of the Camino to Santiago in Spain. Love seeing the shell in unexpected places
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Flowers on our early morning wander
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The covered roof on the boat was welcome. It was fresher than we thought it would be
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The European Parliament is in Strasbourg. Lots of official buildings in this area
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We didn’t stop to have a look – the cruise was 70 minutes non-stop
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Strasbourg has lots of nice bars and cafes
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The astronomical clock in Strasbourg, dating back to the mid 19th century. Apparently the church has always had one
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The stained glass is magnificent. I’d love to see how it’s made
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Apparently if you rub this stone dog, placed in a pulpit near the middle of the cathedral, your wishes come true
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It’s a long way up. So much intricate detail!
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It’s impossible to get a good shot of it all
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I’m a sucker for these bubbles. The ‘blower’ has a baby’s dummy in his ear as an earring!
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Great colours and shapes
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Bye bye bubble, as you float down the street …
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We bought a special lens which attaches to my iPhone to create some wacky photos
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On the bridge that moves to the side when the canal boat comes through. It was so cold, I borrowed Leo’s beanie
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Coloured houses on the canal
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Sections of the art gallery were covered in this design
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A very impressive painting by Dore at the art gallery
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This room had shapes in white at one end and then all colours down the other
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A lovely stained glass window in the art gallery
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Leo at dinner on Saturday night. We had moule frite.
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Playing with the fish eye lens for my camera
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A lone bicycle. We were here for the 10pm bells
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Famous restaurant near the cathedral. The glass in the windows looks amazing
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A big dark, but that’s us
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It seemed like every second woman was wearing a pair of funky stockings, so I now have a new favourite pair too!
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Using the wide angle lens … trying to capture the entire church in one shot
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Time for bed. It was a busy but great Saturday
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On Sunday, we drove to the nearby Chateau du Haut-Königsbourg, mentioned for the first time in the 12th century. Beautiful blue hills nearby
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Chateau du Haut-Königsbourg
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This area was near the kitchen
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I was mesmerised by the blue rolling hills
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Leo popping his head out to say hello
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Chateau du Haut-Königsbourg, looking north
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Used to keep away the baddies. And that’s all folks!
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