Strasbourg

Strasbourg.

Absolutely the most beautiful city I’ve been in pretty much ever. 

We arrived about 10:30 this morning after a couple hours’ drive through Germany and France.  Our hotel is in the old city center, and there is no parking anywhere around.  The first time we tried to get to it using the GPS, we ended up driving down a street that is only open to pedestrian traffic!  It took us a minute to realize that a blue sign with a red circle and stripe means “no driving.” 

We went to the hotel and tried to check in, but the rooms weren’t ready.  The manager offered to let us drop off our bags, which we did, then took off for the recommended long-term parking lot nearby.

We drove around and around, never finding the place until we just decided that the next spot with an open space would be ours.  We finally found a place to park right across the river from the old city, put money in the meter, and took off walking. 

Strasbourg is like Disney on steroids.  Seriously, it looks like Fantasyland.  The buildings are mostly half timbered structures painted pastel colors, window boxes erupting with geraniums of every color, petunias, ivy…The roofs are red slate, some with different shades of red as individual tiles have been replaced.  Narrow alleyways branch off every few dozen feet.  Water fountains spring up on corners, offering cool refreshment. 

We headed for Notre Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral.  As we turned the corner to come into the square, I looked up and almost fell to my knees.  The cathedral defies words.  I have seen cathedrals from Paris to Salzburg to Cologne, but this one took my breath away.  It is the most majestic structure I have ever seen.  The cobbled square out front, the centuries old buildings surrounding the cathedral, the people, the pigeons, just all came together in one awe-inspiring view.  Tears came to my eyes while I stood there taking it all in.

We went to the information center and got a walking guide, then went into the church to see what it was like on the inside.  It did not disappoint.  The stained glass windows…the arches…the statues… the altars…the pipe organ…It was as majestic on the inside as it was on the outside.  But again, pictures and words cannot do it justice.

After touring the cathedral, Kirk and Kyle went to put money in the meter, and the girls and I walked around looking at shops.  We noticed a half dozen soldiers armed with machine guns and bullet proof vests walking around the square.  I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  Good in that their presence was there.  Bad in that their presence was needed. 

Kirk and Kyle showed up, and we ate lunch on Place de Gutenberg outside in a nice little restaurant.  I asked our waiter about the soldiers, and he said it has been like that since the Charlie Hebdo massacre because they are afraid that extremists will try to blow up the cathedral.  How freaking sad is that?

After lunch, we climbed to the top of the cathedral for a bird’s eye view of Strasbourg.  It was a lot of stairs!  Along the way we saw 200-300 year old graffiti etched into the walls.  It makes you wonder about those people from long ago and their desire to leave a mark.  At the top, we could look down on the nave of the church and over the flying buttresses and out over the city.  There was graffiti all over the top where we were, the oldest was from the 1670s!

After descending the steeple, we went on the walking tour of the city.  We saw so many cool buildings, including the oldest Protestant church in Strasbourg (and again saw the soldiers) and the Tanner’s House in the old city.  I bought a pretzel ornament and a lace Christmas tree ornament in a Christmas shop.  We walked down to some towers built in 1200 and then headed to our hotel to check in and get ready for dinner.

The room Kirk and I we were supposed to have wasn’t clean when we opened the door.  There were dirty towels on the floor and the bed was unmade.  The manager was very apologetic and gave us another room with a shower on the third floor (Our original room had a shared bath).  The kids were one floor down, and it was a little odd not to be at least on the same floor as they were. 

I had planned on using wifi to find a place to stay on the way to Switzerland the next day, but the internet wasn’t working.  I swear, I think these places just say “Free WiFi” just so we think we can get it, but it’s only working between 1-2 a.m.  Kirk has an app that shows hotspots, so we took the laptop to try and find a place to stay the next day.

We went for pizza that night and it was really good.  After, we headed over to the square in front of the church for a light show projected onto the sides.  The kids got ice creams, and Kirk set me up to find somewhere to stay.

Our plan was to drive the Black Forest Road, stopping along the way to see the towns and sights, stopping in Emmendingen to explore the Ruine Hochburg and then driving to Lucerne for the night.  The problem was that Lucerne was REALLY expensive…$250-300 a night at the least.  We kept looking and looking and could find nothing. 

Finally, it was time for the light show to start.  On the front of the cathedral, lights “painted” all of the statues and arches in brilliant color, so that it looked like it should have been made that way.  I thought, “To heck with looking for a room!  I’m watching this!”  I went down and took some pictures of it, but, again, photos can’t do it justice.

On the side of the building, a video was projected of different aspects of the cathedral:  cut stones falling down to “build” it, the stained glass windows up close, the statues, colors like a kaleidoscope…At one point years started falling down from the top…1289, 1535, 1902, 1367, 1778, 2013, 1401…All years that this magnificent building has been standing.  It gave me chills to think of everything that has happened during these many centuries.  So much awe just brought tears to my eyes. 

After the video ended, I went back to the wifi spot and began searching once again.  The kids met some Canadian backpackers and sat on the ground and began a conversation that would last an hour or more while Kirk and I tried to find a place to stay the next night. 

The thing about not having any plans is that you may find yourself sitting at a café in the square in a foreign town, surfing free wifi until well after midnight looking for a room. 

We finally found a place at the German-Swiss border and booked it.  I didn’t care what it was like.  The kids said goodbye to the Canadians, and we walked back to our rooms and fell into bed. 

It was hot on the 3^rd floor with no breeze.  We had our window open, and we could hear the goings on in the courtyard below, including some people getting busy.  Couldn’t tell if it was consensual or not, but they were loud.  Needless to say, I did not sleep well.