When we woke this morning, it was a chilly 7C outside. Although it was cloudy, they were no longer forecasting rain.
We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant on level 1 (as opposed to the Le 1387 restaurant on level 0). It was a buffet breakfast like a typical large hotel. There was more choice than our boutique hotel back in Paris. It was also more expensive. I didn't have to cook my own eggs and I ordered an omelette.
Today we'd be exploring Strasbourg. We left the hotel at about 10:15 and walked towards the Strasbourg Notre Dame Cathedral. Because it was so cool, we were well rugged up. I was wearing a light jumper, my heavy puffer jacket, beanie and gloves.
The plaza in front of the cathedral was busy with tour groups and individuals such as us. As we'd seen elsewhere, there were also beggars, homeless people and gypsies.
Our priority was to go on a sightseeing boat trip and so we didn't go into the cathedral yet. Instead we bought tickets from the Botorama office next to the tourist information office near the cathedral.
The boat was fully enclosed in curved glass so you could admire the scenery from every angle. It also gave you weather protection which was just as well because there was some light rain towards the end of the outing. It was also warm inside and so we didn't need our jackets.
However the reflections in the glass make it hard to take good photos.
There is a canal that loops all the way around the city making it an island. There are also branch canals.
After about 10 minutes, we approached the old town (La Petite France) and had to go through a lock. We'd planned to come back here on foot later in the day. There is a dam on the river to maintain the water level. Naturally there was a lock at the other end of the old town.
The architecture in Strasbourg is quaint and distinctive - particularly in the old town. It is very different from Paris. Because Alsace Lorraine has been part of Germany rather than France from time to time, there is German influence in the buildings.
In one of the branch canals, we passed by buildings related to the European Union including a huge glass building that is the European Parliament. I was surprised by this because I thought it was based in Brussels. Apparently most of the EU's administrative work happens in Brussels but the parliament meets in Strasbourg.
The river cruise finished just after 12 noon. It had been a good way to get an overview of the city.
The commentary was offered in several languages. I'd tuned in the the English version on channel 3 whereas Suzy listened to channel 13 which she thought was corny but we concluded this might have been the channel for kids.
On the way back up towards the cathedral, we took the time to take photos in the fascinating streets and plazas along the way which we had previously rushed through on our way to the boat.
The cathedral was closed at lunch time and so we decided to go to one of the nearby cafes, La Grande Dame, to have our lunch. We had a table next to the window upstairs and so we had a good view of the passing scenery below.
As we've seen elsewhere, there were people walking their dogs - including golden retrievers. There aren't any parks nearby and so they wander through cobblestone streets. It is also common for people to take dogs on trains and trams.
I had a burger, a glass of Syrah (we call it Shiraz) and a cafe allonge (which is an espresso with added water - I'd call it a long black and around here it is often called cafe Americain or Americano).
As we walked back towards the cathedral, we saw more soldiers on patrol with their fingers on the trigger of their machine guns. This time there were six or seven of them. They seemed so young - possibly teenagers or early 20s.
t was such a juxtaposition. They looked like they were on patrol in the jungle expecting the Vietcong to jump out from the bushes at any second in amongst the tourists and locals.
The cathedral was now open again and so we could go inside. It's a very big cathedral - tall and long. Although the outside of the building is very ornate (perhaps too much), the inside is not very ornate.
There are several side rooms including one containing some sort of astronomical clock which dates back to 1842. Apparently it puts on a show every day at 12:30 which is probably why the cathedral was closed to the general public at lunch time.
Next we made our way towards La Petite France (the old town of Strasbourg) which is about a ten minute walk (or 20 minutes at my pace).
The architecture and scenery here is very special. Everywhere you look there is another fabulous photo opportunity. Many of the buildings front onto the various canals. Trees and flowers add to the beauty. It's very pretty. An exceptional place.
As we were leaving the area, Suzy said "now you can see why I wanted to come to Strasbourg".
We got back to the hotel by about 2:30pm. By this time I was ready for a rest after all the walking whereas Suzy went out shopping again.
Tonight we decided to go somewhere other than the hotel for dinner. Based on Suzy's research on restaurant reviews, we went to a nearby restaurant called Bistrot des Cocottes at 7pm.
It was just a two minute walk from the hotel. (It would have been just one minute if we'd known exactly where it was).
It was a good choice. Great food and good service. Great atmosphere. I had steak again and concluded that medium means something different in France. Suzy's pork dish was delicious as was the fondant dessert with dark chocolate. A glass of wine was only 5 Euros.
On the way back to the hotel, we went to the nearby tram stop to see if we could work out how to get a ticket tomorrow to get back to the railway station. We couldn't figure it out but a couple of young men who spoke some English showed us how.
We were back in our hotel soon after 8pm.
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