Kehl, Germany and Strasbourg, France

Saturday, November 12 we dock in Kehl, Germany which is across the river from Strasbourg France. We spend our day in Strasbourg a city which has been both German and French over its long history.

Petite France district

Strasbourg is the capital and largest city of the Grand Est region of France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany in the historic region of Alsace in 2013, the city proper had 275,718 inhabitants.  The city is chiefly known for its sandstone Gothic Cathedral with its famous astronomical clock, and for its medieval cityscape of Rhineland black and white timber-framed buildings.

Classic Rhineland black and white timber-framed buildings.

In the morning we do a city walking tour which included the great cathedral, the clock in the cathedral and the older neighborhoods including  the Petite France district.  We pass many small shops that sell cheese, wine, baked goods and practically anything you can imagine.  Closer to the cathedral there are many tourist shops.

Bakery with macaroons and filled biscuits

We stand in line for the astronomical clock which goes off at 12:30 pm. The current, third clock dates from 1843. Its main features, besides the automata, are a perpetual calendar (including a computus), an orrery (planetary dial), a display of the real position of the Sun and the Moon, and solar and lunar eclipses. The main attraction is the procession of the 18 inch high figures of Christ and the Apostles which occurs every day at half past midday while the life-size cock crows thrice.

Strasbourg astronomical clock -  photo from Wikipedia

In the afternoon we go back to the city center to Le Gruber for some Alsatian wine tasting.  They do the tasting in the basement and provide you far too much wine and some cheese or sausage for each wine.  It was a very nice experience and the wines are very different from what we are accustomed to.

Le Gruber

It's dark out after our tasting. Sunsets 04:59 PM.

We do a little relaxing before our wine paired dinner with Cast winery.  The dinner was excellent and they did some very interesting side by side wine tasting.  Each of the dinners we have has been wonderful and very creative.

Crayfish Bisque