Strasbourg day

 

Strasbourg is a major city in northeastern France along the Rhine, known for its French-German culture and gothic architecture, including stunning Strasbourg cathedral. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and only foot traffic is allowed in the historic center during the day. 

I’m topping 12,000 steps today. 

We walked through the historic district and toured the cathedral. Highlights included the 500 year old organ and the Strasbourg Astronomical Clock, one of the largest and most complex mathematical clocks in the world. (Read the Wiki page.) 

After the organized tour, we had several hours of free time before catching the shuttle bus back to the ship. Nice! Everything is so well organized by Viking. 

A snack and coffee first. The empty plate was John’s apple strudel.

After that, we visited the fine arts museum in an old palace near the cathedral. The warm and humid galleries chock full of  masterpieces. Just a few of these paintings would make a special exhibition at Seattle Art Museum.

I got up close and personal with a most exquisite Giotto miniature c. 1320, tucked away in a corner. 

Time for lunch. Strasbourg’s cuisine is a blend of French elegance and hearty German traditions. 

By luck, we picked a restaurant called Le Tire Bouchon, known for it’s traditional and classic Alsatian food.

John had French onion soup (of course) and I had salmon and vegetables (including white asparagus) with an to-die-for Riesling cream sauce. 

The WiFi is getting finicky again.  More later on river cruising life. Hint: pretty darn luxurious.