Sunday 2nd October 2022 – Molsheim, France

One of the main reasons that we chose to stay at Molsheim was the ease of visiting Strasbourg. The train station was only 10 minutes walk away and, even with a restricted Sunday service, there were plenty of trains getting us into the centre of the city in under 20 minutes. The forecast was not good, with sunshine and showers promised but we started our sightseeing in the dry. Immediately we became aware that there was another Pink October walk taking place and we watched the walkers filing past a street band. We spent a long time just wandering the streets looking at the interesting architecture. We managed to reach one church and the cathedral when services were in progress but arrived at the Protestant church of Saint-Pierre-Le-Jeune just after the service had finished. Unexciting from the outside, we were amazed when we went in – mediaeval architecture, 12^th century wall paintings and a beautiful carved and painted rood screen. Outside, surrounding one of the doorways were statues of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. This seems to be popular in Alsace and we had already seen other examples. The Foolish Virgins point their torches to the ground and do not see the light of God and are therefore very unhappy. The Wise Virgins hold their torches up and therefore see the light of God and are very happy. This church was definitely a highlight of the visit and certainly recommended.
Many museums here are free on the first Sunday of each month and this includes the La Palais Rohan with its three museums – good news for us! We particularly wanted to see the archaeology museum and were not disappointed. There were excellent displays, especially the Roman section with its stone carvings and ceramics. We also visited the other two museums – fine art & decorative art (royal apartments) – at speed before we set off for the train station.

Photos: Strasbourg architecture; Strasbourg’s Pink October walk - dancers follow the rhythms of the street band; The Foolish Virgins; The Wise Virgins – the one in the middle looks especially pleased with herself!; The interior of Saint-Pierre-Le-Jeune church; The Archaeology Museum - Neolithic polishing stone used for polishing stone axes.