Oct 5 - Strasbourg

Today found us in Strasbourg in the Alsace area of France. Situated near the German border, the area blends German and French influences. Strasbourg is one of the de facto three main capitals of the European Union (alongside Brussels and Luxembourg), and as such, is the seat of several European institutions such as the Council of Europe and the European Ombudsman. It is the second-largest port on the Rhine River, after Duisburg in Germany. Strasbourg’s historic city centre, the Grand Île (Grand Island) became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, the first time such an honour had been placed on an entire city centre.

At breakfast, Doug enjoyed watching the nearby gantry crane loading shipping containers onto a boat. In an delightful moment of incongruity, two beautiful white swans swam past our ship - such a contrast to the very industrial nature of the river side.

Our guide for today was Saber, an Egyptian who came here to study Egyptology at Strasbourg University. The weather is cool and drizzly - again. Apparently at this time last year, Europe was in the throes of a heat wave.

Strasbourg celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1988 - it began as a Roman settlement. It was a French city, then a German city, back to being a French city, back to being a German city, and since late 1944, has been a French city. Street names are posted in both French and German, often with no similarity of translation. The city is noted for its sandstone Gothic cathedral with its fabulous astronomical clock, and for its medieval cityscape of black and white timber-framed buildings. The city has many bridges, including the medieval and four-towered Ponte Couverts. One area is called the Petite France district or Gerberviertel ("tanners' district") alongside the River Ill and in the streets and squares surrounding the cathedral. The name Petite France comes from the rampant spread of syphilis in this former Red Light District that was blamed on the French. The name has stuck, but not the reputation of the area. It is now among the most coveted areas for apartments.

Johannes Gutenberg is revered here - in 1439 he invented the movable-type printing press, which started a printing revolution that lasted until the internet took over in the late 20th century. His influence on information and ideas is truly remarkable. Amongst other things. the printing press was a factor in the establishment of a community of scientists who could easily communicate their discoveries through the establishment of widely disseminated scholarly journals, helping to bring on the scientific revolution. Over the 200 years after the Gutenberg’s invention, the wider availability of printed materials led to a dramatic rise in the adult literacy rate throughout Europe. Social structures were never again the same.

The cathedral is a stunning building - the exterior is a riot of statues telling allegorical tales, laughing gargoyles and carved flowers. The magnificent stained glass windows were saved from Nazi destruction when they were removed and hidden in a cave. The movie, “The Monument Men” tells the story of their discovery.

We had some free time, so we wandered the many narrow streets, doing window-shopping. The city is full of little boutiques, selling high-end clothing, jewelry, watches and antiques. There are cafés everywhere, interspersed with cheese and wine stores and little bakeries. The only thing we wanted (and could afford) were some cookies. While we waited at noon for our rendezvous with Saber, the bells on the cathedral pealed for 15 minutes. What a delightful concert! Saber led us back to where the buses have to wait - there are very few vehicles allowed into the old city centre.Read more