The forecast for today had been for rain so we were pleasantly surprised to wake to cloudy skies but no rain. So, off we set for a morning walk to take in more of the medieval beauty of Starsbourg. I realised this morning that Strasbourg is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited and is certainly one to add to your ‘bucket list’. It’s a combination of the beautiful medieval architecture, the canals, the many pretty bridges and the cobblestone streets that combine to create one very beautiful city.
Sadly for us though, the rain did get started by the time our 11 am walking tour of Petite France was due to commence. This tour was with the same company from yesterday, Happy Strasbourg, and we actually ended up with the same guide, Gabrielle. The tour was only for 75 minutes with Petite France being only about a 10 min walk from our apartment. That is another great thing about Strasbourg; everything is just a 10 ~ 15 min walk away at most. The name ‘Petite France’ has a rather unpleasant origin though; it comes from the ‘hospice of the syphilitic’ which was built in the late fifteenth century on the island to cure persons with syphilis, a disease referred to by Germans as Frankenstein, the ‘French disease’ as the Germans blamed the French for this disease!
We finished up the tour in Petite France by about 12.30 and went on to the lookout above the old Vauban Dam that dates back to 1686. The upper terrace of this old Lock offers great views back over Strasbourg however the rain made this a little less spectacular today.
My shoes were rather soaked by this stage and so we headed towards home to dry off and for a rest but picked up some sandwiches along the way for our lunch.
The persistent rain had forced us to alter our afternoon plans with a canal tour on the Batorama now on the a genda. We took the 4 pm Batorama tour and this circled the Grande Isle with a loop to the north through the Neustadt area at the end. This extra loop to the north allowed us to view the European Parliament building which, given the current Brexit situation, seemed more poignant!
The canal cruise finished at about 5.30 pm and so we headed for a visit to the inside of the Cathedral, the Ecco shoe store for some more shows for moi and then for one beer at Cavpona before heading to Le Troquet des Kneckes for dinner. It was another full day and we’re both exhausted! We have one more day in Strasbourg before heading to Dijon.
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