15 May: the 3 museums of Palais Rohan

Today was really different: we visited the building that started life in the 1730s as the residence of the prince-bishops and cardinals of the aristocratic Rohan family. It has hosted King Louis XV, Marie Antoinette and Napoleon, and more recently Margaret Thatcher and Barack Obama. It now hosts three museums.

We started the day with the beautiful state apartments (together designated a Museum of Decorative Arts), which provide a wonderful insight into the life of the rich and powerful through multiple regimes. These were overwhelming, and Des fell particularly in love with the library. This museum also included collections of chinaware and religious chalices etc from the period.

The Museum of Fine Arts was on the first floor of the building, and displayed an amazing range of paintings from the 14th to the 18th centuries.

In need of sustenance after all this, we retired to a cafe for the Plat du Jour, today (1) a fresh salad, (2) a pork steak smothered in a mushroom sauce, and (3) a mille feuille for dessert.

Another visit to Strasbourg’s stunning cathedral, then on to museum 3, the Archaeological Museum. We saw artifacts from all over Alsace, from the earliest inhabitants (600,000 years ago!) through to the Romans. Strasbourg got its name from a huge Roman garrison camp on the site.

We finished the day with a special exhibition of the work of Gustave Doré, the Alsatian famous for his etchings, paintings and book illustrations. What a talent!

Another very interesting and challenging day. Tomorrow, high speed train(s) - one change - to Cologne.Lue lisää