We arrived at Strasbourg before midday, and went for a short 10 mins walk to a large park. It was good to just stretch our legs and have our first ‘French’ experience as we were now on the French side of the Rhine, in Alsace.
After lunch we took a tour of the city by coach and on foot. Our guide was Catherine, and although knowledgeable conducted the ‘tour by numbers’. A major feature of the city is the buildings housing the European Union governing offices – interesting but an indulgence to appease the French as it could all be managed from the Hague. The city centre of this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a buzzing network of small squares, narrow streets and palaces which feels like a tourist trap. Our tour took us to the Gothic Cathedral of the Virgin Mary and to ‘La Petite France’ with its quaint half-timbered houses and workshops. The history is evident in the buildings, but is compromised by the need to make them commercially viable. To me it hasn’t been as successful as in some of the other historic towns or cities we’ve visited – I could be wrong though.
Back on board the ship it was the ‘Captain's Farewell Dinner’, essentially the last dinner on board the Alemannia. It was a good dinner, and also the last night with Chris & Roger and Elisabeth & Burkhardt, our companions during the trip whose company made the cruise more enjoyable.
After lunch we took a tour of the city by coach and on foot. Our guide was Catherine, and although knowledgeable conducted the ‘tour by numbers’. A major feature of the city is the buildings housing the European Union governing offices – interesting but an indulgence to appease the French as it could all be managed from the Hague. The city centre of this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a buzzing network of small squares, narrow streets and palaces which feels like a tourist trap. Our tour took us to the Gothic Cathedral of the Virgin Mary and to ‘La Petite France’ with its quaint half-timbered houses and workshops. The history is evident in the buildings, but is compromised by the need to make them commercially viable. To me it hasn’t been as successful as in some of the other historic towns or cities we’ve visited – I could be wrong though.
Back on board the ship it was the ‘Captain's Farewell Dinner’, essentially the last dinner on board the Alemannia. It was a good dinner, and also the last night with Chris & Roger and Elisabeth & Burkhardt, our companions during the trip whose company made the cruise more enjoyable.
