Strasbourg, My Favorite

Strasbourg

To visit Strasbourg, our Viking cruise ship docked at the city of Kehl on the German side of the Rhine River. The river separates Germany and France’s borders.  Viking provided a motor coach across the river and into the city of Strasbourg with a local guide on board to give his perspective of the city.                                                                           

Strasbourg was my favorite stop of the cruise because of its unique nature and the beauty of the city and its cathedral.  It is also the capital of Europe and the seat of European Parliament.  The city is located in the Alsace region, an area known for excellent white wine, combined French/German culture, sauerkraut, medieval walls, storks, castles, and Christmas markets.

Strasbourg  also has many bridges, including three arched bridges built in thirteenth century that cross the Ill River, a tributary of the Rhine.

View from one of many city bridges
Changing Nationalities 

Today, Strasbourg is a French city, but it changed hands multiple times between France and Germany during WW I and WW II.  

In 1618, Strasbourg was a French city, but it became a part of the German Empire from 1870 to 1918.  However, after the first world war, it reverted back to France under the Treaty of Versailles.  During the second world war, it again became a German city.  Lastly, it returned to France at the end of the second world war.  A local guide said that during those years, its citizens could only speak the language of the country that was in control.  He quoted his grandfather regarding the difficulty it created.  But, I can only imagine how frustrating that must have been.

A Unique City

Our local Viking guide, Caroline, laid out her plans to show us parts of the city using the model below.

Caroline, tour guide, describes our tour of the city

The city is a beautiful blend of both French and German culture and architecture.  At over 465 feet tall, the cathedral looms high in the model.  From 1647 to 1884, it was the tallest building in the modern world.

Christmas

Strasbourg began the tradition of the Christmas tree.  For instance, a document in the museum dated in 1492 states that they put up fir trees throughout the city to celebrate the renewal of winter.  They simply decorated them with fruit and pretzels to brighten the darkest of winter.  By the 18th century, they also brought the trees into the homes as a celebration of Christmas.  The custom was then brought around the world as Germans migrated.

Strasbourg has been holding a Christmas market since 1570 and it is one of the oldest in Europe.   It is also known as the Capital of Christmas.

The Cathedral 

As in most European cities, the ancient cathedral is the main attraction. The  Cathedralis made of sandstone.  While primarily Gothic, it actually combines both Gothic and Romanesque architectural styles.  Furthermore, it stands on the site of an ancient Roman Temple.

While originally built in 1015, it was subsequently destroyed by a fire. All that remained was the crypt and footprint.  They began reconstruction in the 12th century and the building was strongly influenced by the Gothic style of the time.  It was completed in 1439.  Interestingly, the cathedral only has one spire.  It appears that financing was a major factor.

For a time starting in the 1500s, the cathedral became a Protestant place of worship because of the popularity of Martin Luther’s teachings. However, the French King restated it as ‘Catholic’ in 1681. It as listed a a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.

Strasbourg Cathedral

The entrance is on the west side of the cathedral and there are statues of Old Testament prophets on each side.  Its door has many carvings.  The 49 foot tall Rose Window shines from above.  It represents the city’s commercial power in the Middle Ages.

The Entrance
The Interior

Of all the cathedrals we visited on our trip, the interior of this one was the most beautiful and interesting.   It is enormous and very ornate.  The nave (worship area) of the cathedral is 107 feet tall,  202 feet long and 52 feet wide.

P The arched entrance

The stained glass windows are from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. We saw an interesting movie on our cruise ship, “The Monuments Men”, a true story about a group of soldiers searching for art hidden by the Nazis.  The soldiers recovered the cathedral’s stained glass from a German salt mine in 1945.  It was a very good movie and it is coming to Netflix October 1.

Beautiful stained glass window
Rose Window

The Rose Window is above the door on the exterior.  It appears small in the photo, but it is actually 49 feet tall.  Hopefully, that will serve to show the epic size of the interior.

The Rose Window
Silbermann Organ

Johann Andreas Silbermann,  noted Alsace organ builder, created the ornate musical instrument in 1741.  It has both German and French characteristics.  They rebuilt it several times going back to 1298.  It has three keyboards and a moving figure of Sampson and a trumpet player.

Strasbourg organ
The Silbermann Organ
The Astronomical Clock

The astronomical clock is a masterpiece of the Renaissance.   Artists, mathematicians, clockmakers, and sculptors contributed the creation of this beautiful timepiece.  They installed the mechanism of the present day clock in 1842 and for first clock in 1354.

There is a lot more going on than timekeeping.  The four stages of the life of man parade in front of death at the upper level, which symbolizes time’s effect on man.  The twelve apostles parade before Christ.  The days of the week are also a component of the clock.

We saw its movement on the half hour and it was pretty cool.

Strasbourg Astronomical Clock
Astronomical Clock
Other City Sights
Restaurants

Lovely restaurants and cobbled streets surround the cathedral.  We had a cappuccino at the restaurant below and enjoyed watching the people going by with the cathedral in the background.

A side street near the cathedral

It would have been nice to have a meal at one of the restaurants, but we wanted to be sure to not miss our ride back to the ship.

One of many restaurants with outdoor seating
Old Customs House

The Old Customs House is an ancient building that has been repurposed.  It was built in 1358, but was heavily damaged during bombing raids of WWII.  So, they rebuilt it almost twenty years later, based upon the original medieval plans.  Today, it houses a restaurant and a market for fresh produce.

New Customs House (Fresh Produce)
Storks

Storks are the symbol of the Alsace region and Strasbourg. They symbolize fertility and residents also believe they bring luck and wealth.  The image of storks are visible all over the city.  Stork nests are encouraged on top of buildings and houses.  A folk tale of the 9th century depicted storks a a symbol of peace.

Strasbourg stork
Storks are the symbol of Strasbourg
The Oldest House

The brown and orange half-timbered Kammerzell house below is considered the most beautiful house in the city.  It has five-stories and was built in 1427. The house is named for Phillipe Kammerzell, a grocer.  Today, the building is a restaurant and hotel.

Oldest house in Strasbourg
La Maison Kammerzell
Museum

The Musée de l Oeuve is another ancient building.  They constructed its left wing in 1347 and the right wing in 1739.  The museum houses art that dates from the Middle Ages to 1681.  I understand the museum has a large collection of statues, stained glass, and art.  But, we did not have the time to visit.

Musée de l OEuvre
In Conclusion 

I’m afraid that our stop in Strasbourg just wetted my appetite to see and do more in the city because we were only there for a few hours.  However, it was my favorite stop on our Viking cruise.  Now that I’ve seen it, perhaps I may return someday.  

Lastly, check out my post, Spyer Germany to see another magnificent cathedral.

Retired couple in Strasbourg

 

 

Cologne and a Cathedral

Cologne

Cologne was the first German stop on our Viking cruise  and our first time in the country.  I have German roots on my father’s side, so I felt a special affinity for the country.

The  air was crisp and the temperature mild.  It was such a perfect day to tour the city!  A motor coach transported us from the drop off point on the Rhine river into the city and we saw a bit of residential area and countryside.

In Germany, Cologne is “Köln”
The Cathedral 

Firstly, our local Viking tour guide first took us to the  Cologne Cathedral , the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and one of Germany’s most famous landmarks.  Its twin towers dominate the Cologne skyline.  The cathedral is also a World Heritage Site and the most visited site in Germany.

Western section of the cathedral

They began construction on the cathedral in 1248, but did not finish it until 1880.  Lengthy interruptions occurred due to war and financial difficulties.  They built the cathedral to enshrine the bones of the Three Wise Men.  The shrine is located in the back of the cathedral.  We had limited access inside because it was Sunday.  So, we couldn’t view the shrine.

The entrance to the cathedral

While we could view and photograph from the back of the cathedral, we couldn’t go beyond.

Aisle of the cathedral

Church personnel had roped off the main area because a mass was being held.

Cologne Cathedral
A Sunday service was occurring

Prayer candles and ancient artwork were in the back of the church and were also accessible to visitors.

Prayer Candles

The builders had placed many statues of biblical heroes upon the facade of the church. From my research, I believe that the two below are Elijah and King Solomon.

Part of the facade

Pollution causes the dark areas of the cathedral and, therefore, it is an ongoing effort to clean the exterior.  As soon as the last area is cleaned, the earlier areas that were cleaned need it again.

Lastly, we learned that the cathedral was damaged from bombs by the Allies during WW II.  The damage was repaired though.

The Rest of the Tour

While the cathedral was a main portion of our tour, we subsequently saw a few more areas of interest.  Our guide, Ulrika, certainly was a hoot.  She had a great, somewhat quirky, sense of humor.  I really enjoyed her!

Ullrika
Stumbling Stones

The stumbling stones below were in an area near the cathedral in front of some shops. Ulrika explained their meaning.  They have laid over 70,000 of these blocks throughout Europe and Russia.  Many of the stones are financed by schoolchildren who learn of their meaning and about former residents in their area.  They place the stones where the victims previously lived.  The victim’s name, date of birth, date of death, and method of death are etched on the stone. 

I was very touched by this way they are remembering the victims of the Nazi regime.

Stumbling stone in Cologne
Stumbling Stone
Heinzelmannchen Fountain 

The city established the water fountain below in 1900 as art that depicts a legend.  The Heinzelmannchen were a mythical race of gnomes who, according to legend, did the mundane work during the night for Cologne residents.  A tailor’s wife wanted to see them and spread peas to make them slip and fall.  They became angry and never returned.  Thus, the residents of Cologne had to do the work themselves.

Fountain in Cologne
Heinzelmannchen Fountain
Cars and Bikes

We didn’t see the massive number of bikes like in the Netherlands, but we did see more than in the United States.  Also, we saw this very tiny one-person car.

Tiny car caught my eye
The Chocolate Museum

Our tour guide mentioned the Chocolate Museum during our tour.  We returned to our ship with our “leisurely” group for lunch.  We came back later that afternoon to visit the museum.  

A giant Ferris wheel spins to its side.  The museum has all you could ever want to know about chocolate and the displays cover multiple floors.

Chocolate Museum in Cologne
Chocolate Museum

The exhibits had information on how cocoa beans are harvested, a history of chocolate, plus some antique vending machines and chocolate cups.   Chocolate-making machines were also on display.

They gave us some samples.  Yum!

Vintage chocolate equipment

Afterwards, we ordered the local beer of Cologne.  There were beautiful pastries and candies in this restaurant, but we didn’t have the time or appetite.

A local beer and some chocolate
A Rickshaw Ride

Our trip to and from the museum was via rickshaw.   Our Viking desk arranged it for us through “Let It Roll.”  It was a lovely experience.  Our two drivers were friendly and helpful .  

Frank our rickshaw operator
A Beautiful Sunset

After dinner, we watched the sunset across the Rhine with the cathedral in view.  It was a beautiful end to the day!

View of Cologne at sunset
View of the cathedral across the Rhine
In Conclusion 

We only had one day in this beautiful city and couldn’t do everything, but we saw a lot.   I somewhat wish we had stayed on the other side of the bridge instead of going back to the ship for lunch.  However, we are limited in what we can do physically and it was probably good that we didn’t push ourselves too hard.    Travel while young and healthy if you can!

We love to travel, so my blogs have covered a lot of territory.  We visited Kinderdijk in the Netherlands just before this stop.  Check it out!

Retired couple in Cologne