Day 12: hump day in Strasbourg

Today officially marks the second half of our vacation. It’s all uphill from here (since we are actually heading up the Rhine valley from this point). We spent the day visiting the astonishingly beautiful city of Strasbourg. This is truly one of the loveliest cities of its size in the world and an example of what sage city planning can accomplish. It has been a beautiful city for centuries, I’m sure, but when the leadership decided, in 1994, to ultimately ban cars from the city centre and put in a system of trams (exceedingly beautiful trams, I might add), it changed the city in ways that they perhaps did not envisage.

We were wandering around by 10 am, and even on an early June morning, the number of tourists here was a little annoying. I can’t imagine what it must be like in July and August. But like every tourist town, there’s a reason the tourists come, and not having to dodge vehicle traffic to get your shot of the magnificent cathedral is a pretty big deal.

We spent the morning wandering round the historic district, gradually working our way out to the university and then to Parc de la Citadel, where we ate our sandwiches for lunch. Then we took the lovely tram back into town, getting off a stop early when we spotted a market near the opera house and buying provisions for our dinner.

Then it was back to the apartment for a rest and some research to book our lodgings for tomorrow night, which proved a little more difficult than expected, it being the weekend of Pentecost. But we managed to find a bed and breakfast and then Sonia went out to do some shopping while I had a nap.

We had dinner on the little balcony of our apartment, put on a load of laundry, and then went out for one last hurrah in Strasbourg at the Académie de la bière before heading home to prepare for more cycling tomorrow.