Speyer

We both had a bit of a restless night after passing through several locks during the night. Generally, the passage is rather smooth, but there were a few abrupt bumps and some bright lights that woke us up intermittently. We think we passed through about three locks during the night before our arrival this morning in Strasbourg, France.

A coach and tour guide had been arranged for passengers to get into the city, but we opted instead to tour Strasbourg at our own pace. We benefitted from a presentation the night before to learn of the main attractions to the city, and we opted to find our own transportation. After a failed attempt to secure a taxi, we managed to get an Uber into the heart of the city.

Strasbourg sits about two miles to the west of the Rhine. The city was originally a Celtic village, and was under the Roman Empire for a period of time. In a grossly abbreviated summary, Strasbourg was back and forth under German and French rule over the centuries.

The city holds international recognition as the host of the European Parliament for over the last forty years. The main section of the city is circled by the Ill River, which divides and surrounds the Grand Île (Big Island) on which the old town and most of the city’s famous buildings are located.

It was a beautiful, crisp sunny morning as we made our way to the Strasbourg Cathedrale de Notre Dame. It's considered to be a very fine representation of Gothic Architecture and for several centuries it was the tallest structure in Europe. The cathedral is quite majestic and unusual as it has only one steeple. The red sandstone really causes it to stand out, and the c stained glass work is amazing.

We were fascinated by the Astronomical Clock at the cathedral which resulted from the combined efforts of artists, mathematicians and technicians. Swiss clockmakers, sculptors, painters and automaton designers. The animation of the clock is quite amazing and includes daily feasts of Saints, phases of the moon, position of planets and animations of the apostles. Here's one of many links you can find of the 1842 clock in action: https://youtu.be/hSv8dZF-vo8

When we left the cathedral, we headed over to Place (plaza) Guttenberg Place that honors the inventor of the printing press. On the monument were several engraved murals. One in particular highlighted various famous authors.

In this statue.,Gutenberg is depicted holding a page of the Scriptures on which one can read the line "and there was light" in French.

As we left the plaza, we headed over to La Petite France, the historic center of Strasbourg. We loved the canals, bridges and cobblestone streets with canals and locks dividing up this area. The homes and businesses were well kept and beautiful.

After our visit, we hopped on an Uber to return to our boat, and we were both happy that we had decided to visit Strasbourg without the inherent constraints of a tour.

We rested the remainder of the afternoon, and we passed through the last lock of our journey. It was quite large snd impressive. A bit later we arrived in Speyer, Germany where we are moored for the night.

After dinner, we enjoyed the performance of a violinist from Ukraine. We learned that she is returning to Ukraine to reunite with her husband after fleeing the country. She ended her performance with a rendition of Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?". That was one of my father's favorite songs, and it was an emotional moment thinking about how much he would have loved it, and she modeled hope and resilience of the Ukranian people. We wish her a safe journey home and peace to all Ukrainians.

It was a lovely day. Best to you all, friends and family.Read more