Strasbourg, France, with its medieval half-timbered houses and curved cobblestone streets, looks like it was lifted from a Grimm brothers’ fairy tale. Located in northeastern France on the Rhine River, the city has been claimed by both France and Germany over the years, and its culture and architecture show the influence of both countries.
Hundreds of years ago, the tanners’ quarter was once a bustling industrial area of fishermen, millers and tanners. Now it is a quaint tourist destination crowded with shops and restaurants. The area reminded me of Venice, with multi-story Tudor buildings crowded right to the edge of the water and tourist boats gliding slowly under the bridges.
Notre Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg took over 200 years to build and was completed in 1439.
It is the sixth-tallest church in the world and is a marvelous example of Gothic architecture, with its vaulted ceilings, pointed arches, flying buttresses and stained glass windows.
There’s also has a famous astronomical clock which shows the planets, solar and lunar eclipses, and a procession of Christ and the apostles, including a life-size cock that crows three times.
A marble plaque in the cathedral honors American soldiers killed in World War II.
Near the cathedral is the statue of Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type and father of the printing press. He lived in Strasbourg from 1430 to 1440.
An old-fashioned carousel provides a fun break. Located beside the Gutenberg statue, it is a colorful menagerie of giraffes, elephants and lions, surrounded by brightly painted prancing horses moving slowly up and down on their brass poles.
Where did you vacation this summer? I look forward to hearing about it on Facebook.
Frances Aylor 