Wednesday September 15th
Somehow we managed to come to Strasbourg with no information about the place at all so we had no idea what to expect when we got into town. We walked to the bus stop and managed to buy a ticket off the driver that would also be good for the tram. Alan was keen to try and buy a return ticket but we ended up with a one way one. We managed to get off by the tram and you simply get out of the bus and step onto the tram that takes you in to the city. The trams are all sleek, modern and fast. We got off at the right stop in the centre of town and walked to the information centre and spoke the woman in there who explained the Strasbourg card. It seemed really good value although did not include any transport. However there were free entries to a few places and discounts to others.
The first visit was the cathedral which was free but it closes at 11.15 to get everyone out and then you pay to go in at 12.00 to see the astronomical clock. There was a free voucher for this in the book so we lined up outside at 11.45 with all the other tourists. There was a very good movie for the first half hour explaining the clock and then at 12.30 it does it 12 o’clock thing. It is half an hour out for some obscure reason. It was quite spectacular and with the explanation I was able to video in the right places as I knew the sequence. It was quite like the clocks in Prague and Munich with its parade of characters, but as it is in the cathedral rather than on clock tower there is more to see and you can get a lot closer.
When we got outside the little train was pulling up so we bought tickets for the 1pm ride and ate lunch while we waited. This was a really good trip as it took us all over the old town and there was a good commentary through the headphones. We were able to find out where the places of interest were so we could walk back and photograph them. Unfortunately it was another wet day so the buildings didn’t look as good as they would on a sunny day. The whole of the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it easy to see why. There are narrow cobbled streets of half timbered houses where the tanners, butchers and fishmongers originally had their trades.
After the train ride we went to the Alsace museum. The booklet gave us one free entry to museum of our choice so we chose this one. When we got there we were told it was free, so we still have a free visit to another tomorrow. It was all set up in a large old house built around a courtyard on four levels. It contained a lot of painted furniture typical of the Alsace region. It was very extensive and interesting and took a bit of viewing but it was a great wet day activity.
After we left here we walked some of the route that the train had taken us on and took photos and video. If it is fine tomorrow we may go back and get some sunny photos.
We eventually ended up at the main railway station. This is an old building that has had a huge glass atrium built over the front. At some stage they have added a tram line underneath and you access these by escalators from the atrium. We worked out how to buy tickets at the machine and managed to buy whole day tickets for tomorrow which will be useful and are far cheaper than single trips. We then worked how to navigate the tram and bus network back to the camp. It was still drizzling as it had been all day. However we spent some time in the cafe having a drink and surfing the internet.
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