We
have heard from many fellow Americans about the beauty of the town of
Strasbourg, so we spent a Sunday recently wandering the streets with an
efficient self-guided tour provided by the tourist information office. It
was a very sunny day, and very warm to see this quaint city sitting on the Ill
River in the Alsace Region of France. Because of its location on the border of
Germany and France it definitely is infused with influences from both
countries. A lovely city to walk around and enjoy the architecture, Notre-Dame
Cathedral, river’s edge, abundance of flowers in courtyards, in flower boxes,
and decorating homes and restaurants.
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| Notre-Dame Cathedral |
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| Beautiful Organ |
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| Astronomical Clock inside the Cathedral. It had 7 levels of clocks - each unique and detailed. |
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| Strasbourg, France |
Basel,
Switzerland is another city, which borders more than one country, and you
can see the influences in language (German) and cost of living (Swiss). One day
we rented bikes and ended up on a street where within a block you were in
Germany, France, and Switzerland!
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| 500 year old Town Hall dominates the Marketplatz Square |
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| Very efficient tram system for the small town of Basel |
Bob’s
schedule has taken him to Basel quite often and is one of the best schedules to
have here. It was interesting to see Basel in summer because the last time I
was there was in November. The sun was out and it was very warm this time. The
Rhine River flows through the center of Old Town. It flows very briskly and there
are many spots along the riverbank where people enter the river (with a
waterproof bag full of belongings they want to keep dry and it also serves as a
float). People get relief from the warm weather and get a fun ride without any
effort! It is a funny sight to see, all these people just floating down the
river at all times of day. The river flows so quickly the town has a little ‘ferry’
service which is a small boat without a motor that is tethered from one side of
the river to the other and the current pulls the boat and passengers from one
side to the other. Ingenious!
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| Small 'ferry boat' that travels with the current. In the background is the red sandstone Basler Munster which was originally a Catholic Cathedral and is now a Protestant Church. |
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| You can see a few of the people floating down the river here. |
When
we were bike riding right outside the city center we came across a very
interesting spot where there was a section of the river that had white water canoeing, kayaking, and stand up
paddling. Groups of people were learning, practicing, and enjoying the water on
a very warm day. It fun to stop and watch them and definitely a great place to go
with a family (Huningue, France). It is so interesting when you just happen upon a great spot that looks like such a fun place to spend a day. Wished we had our swimsuits and time to stay on.
Bob’s
schedule has taken him to Basel quite often and is one of the best schedules to
have here. It was interesting to see Basel in summer because the last time I
was there was in November. The sun was out and it was very warm this time. The
Rhine River flows through the center of Old Town. It flows very briskly and there
are many spots along the riverbank where people enter the river (with a
waterproof bag full of belongings they want to keep dry and it also serves as a
float). People get relief from the warm weather and get a fun ride without any
effort! It is a funny sight to see, all these people just floating down the
river at all times of day. The river flows so quickly the town has a little ‘ferry’
service which is a small boat without a motor that is tethered from one side of
the river to the other and the current pulls the boat and passengers from one
side to the other. Ingenious!
