We didn’t see everything that we wanted to see in Strasbourg
yesterday so we decided to extend our stay and go into the city again today.
There is a magnificent astrological clock in the cathedral and it gives a
special performance at 12:30. We arrived with a couple of minutes to spare only
to find the doors closed. They now charge for entrance from 11:35 to noon and
they then close r=the doors until 13:00 – they obviously closed the doors
slightly early. Our other main target was La Petite France, a very pretty area
by the river and we headed off there. It was rather early for lunch but we have
learned that the French tend to eat early at lunchtime, so we took one of the
last tables outside a very pleasant restaurant and settled down to a lovely
meal.
We were very surprised at how many tourists were in the city, probably ten
times as many as on Sunday. This meant that we had plenty of people-watching
opportunities as we sat at our table and our waiter was constantly telling
people, in many languages, that the restaurant was full or that they should
come back in 20 or 30 minutes.
We walked to the Pont Couverts, a series of bridges that took us over the Rhine
and the canal locks. Weirs had been constructed to raise the level of the river,
allowing the construction of a number of mills that took advantage of the large
volume of water passing through. It must have been a hive of industry in those
days with lots of noise and smells with many tanners also taking advantage of
the water. Now it is a very pretty area with timber-framed buildings and lovely
river views. A little further on was the Vauban Dam, once a defensive structure
but now a pedestrian bridge with a viewing balcony on top that provided great
views over La Petite France.
Photos: A view over the Rhine to La Petite France; The
Vauban Dam; A view of the Ponts Couverts from the top of the Vauban Dam; The
astrological clock in the cathedral.
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