Friday, November 1, 2019
We started our day with a bus and then walking tour of Strasbourg, France, the capital of Alsace. The weather was in the 50s and the rain was more of a drizzle. We didn’t see the sun at all today!
We drove by the Place de la République Kaiserplatz which is one of the main squares of the city in Strasbourg.
On our walking tour of Strasbourg we passed by the Janus Fountain which has also been called the Tomi Ungerer (its creator) fountain. It was built for the 2000th anniversary of Strasbourg in 1988. This fountain has a face on both sides which represents the city’s double identity with France and Germany.
Strasbourg is the formal seat of the European Parliament and is located close to the German border. Today is All Saints Day so many stores were closed and kids didn’t have school.
In the center of Strasbourg, we walked along the pedestrian street, Rue Des Orfévres.
We saw the outside of the Gothic Cathedral of Strasbourg. Because it was All Saints Day, mass was being held so we weren’t allowed inside. The church tells stories on the outside and is filled with many statues on the front! It was a beautiful church.
We enjoyed exploring this city where you experienced German and a French influence.
We boarded a boat for a ride on the Ill River. We saw medieval bridges and 16th century half-timbered houses.
The town is beginning to put up its Christmas decorations to get ready for the Christmas Markets.
On our way to the ship we saw this beautiful flower market and country distance signs! They were fun to see how far we were from these other cities.
After our boat excursion we arrived back to the ship for lunch and then we headed back out to catch our bus for our afternoon trip. We drove through the Alsace countryside and some quaint villages. We caught the name of two of the villages; one was Roshime and the other was Boersch as we traveled to Obernai. We parked in the bus parking lot and then walked to the city center. In the town square is the St. Odile Fountain.
We then had free time to explore some of the city.
Our last stop today was wine tasting at the Fritz- Schmitt Winery in the town of Ottrott. We tasted Crémont d’ Alsace Brut, Muscat, and Rouge d’ Ottrott Reserve. This area mainly produces white wines.
A perfect ending to a busy day!
