Look out France! Here I Come--Part 3 Strasbourg France and Kehl Germany

Friday, April 13, 2012
Strasbourg France, and Kehl Germany

After a solid 12 hours of sleep, I was up and ready to explore Strasbourg some more.  When Linda, Rob, and I were ready to go, we went to a nearby bakery called Paul to get some breakfast. I got a delicious apple tart.

We then headed over to the weekly farmers market to browse around at the stands. There were several rows of stands selling food, clothing, jewelry, and other merchandise. Linda bought herself a pink scarf. We also brought some bread and cheese for lunch later in the day.

I was very amused to see Super Mario painted on the side of this buidling

We then headed over to the Cathedral Notre Dame de Strasbourg. The cathedral was absolutely stunning. The intricate detail of the façade was incredible. There were so many statues carved into the building. They started building this cathedral in the 1100’s and it took over 600 years to complete it. It amazed me to realize that this cathedral was built hundreds of years ago without the equipment we have today to help create it.

The inside of the cathedral was just as stunning as the outside of the church, with even more statues. It was just a few days after Easter, so there was an elaborate table set up for the last supper. An impressive pipe organ hung from the rafters, and I was a bit disappointed that we were not there for services. The stained glass windows were stunningly beautiful and detailed.

Rob told us a story about the little dog that was carved into the pulpit. There was a priest who was known to bring his dog to mass with him. When the preacher gave long sermons, the dog would fall asleep at his feet, so the dog was carved into the pulpit as a remembrance.

The church was cleared out shortly after we arrived so they could get ready for the astronomical clock presentation, which required admission. We got our tickets to the astronomical clock presentation, and spent some time looking at the side of the church. There were some impressive looking gargoyles and stone horses on the side.

We were soon allowed back into the church, and joined hundreds of others for a 22-minute film about the history of the astronomical clock, which was presented in French, English, and German.

The clock itself was very impressive.  It was several stories tall, and had amazing details. Each day at 12:30, statues of Jesus and the apostles process around the clock, and we were able to watch it. It was very cool.

After the astronomical clock presentation, we went to catch a bus to spend a few hours in Kehl, Germany. I mostly wanted to go just so I could say that I’ve been to Germany. We took a tram to a bus stop, and then transferred to a bus to Kehl. It was a short ride over the Rhine River to get there.  

There was a nice shopping area in downtown Kehl. I was surprised to see a Woolworth. It reminded me of the old Woolworth store in Boston, which closed many years ago. It was fun just walking around and browsing in the shops. I was very amused to see familiar games and books with German packaging.

I had a stuffy nose during my trip, and was going through my pocket packs of tissues at a quick rate. I only had a package and a half left when we passed a DM store in Kehl that had a huge 30 pack of tissue pocket packs on display out front. They were charging 3 euros and 50 cents for the package, which is about $5. I know a bargain when I see one--I had paid 50 cents for piece at CVS before leaving on my trip. So, I went into a store, and I wound up buying a 15 pack of pocket pack tissues for 95 cents (which is about $1.30). It was definitely my bargain of the trip! And I’m still using them two months later! So, if you are ever in Germany, make sure you stock up on paper goods at the DM stores because their prices are fantastic!

We stopped in a plaza near a small brick church to have our picnic lunch of French bread, cheese, and quiche that Linda bought at a little bakery in near the tram stop in Strasbourg. Everything was delicious.

God give me the strength to lift this church.

We continued to browse around the shops in Kehl as we made our way back to the bus stop. Rob found a neat little spinning bench that we stopped to take a spin on.

We then made our way back to the bus stop. We just missed the bus, and Rob thought it looped around, so we tried to find another stop, but couldn’t, so we made our way back to the original bus stop, and waited for the next bus.

When we got back to Strasbourg, we decided to get some dessert. I got a chocolate croissant at a little bakery near out hotel, and then we headed over to a gelato shop near the cathedral. Even though I had the croissant, I decided to get a Gelato as well. They let you choose as many flavors as you wanted to, and they laid thin strips of it out on the cone so that it looked like petals of a flower. I got banana, vanilla, and dulce du leche gelato, and it was excellent.

We went back to the hotel for a short rest, and headed over to La Petite France, a beautiful area of Strasbourg on the River Ill. There were lots of shops and restaurants along the river, and it was just a beautiful area to walk around. Most of the shops were closed by the time we arrived, but it was still fun to walk around and window shop. The buildings in the area were absolutely gorgeous and quaint. We were there at the perfect time to get some great pictures of the buildings reflecting off the water.

We headed back towards are hotel, and wound up stopping at Maison La D’or Chaine for dinner. They had a reasonably price three course meal, and the restaurant was packed, so we figured it must be good, and it was. Our waiter Yannik was fantastic, and he spoke excellent English. He reminded me of Kevin Bacon, both in his looks and his personality.

I started off with the carpacio of beef with pesto. It was a thinly sliced rare beef. It was perfectly chilled, and very tasty.

For my entrée, I got steak au’ poivre, which was served with French fries and salad. I soon learned that there was only one kind of salad sauce served in France, and it was nothing like the French salad dressing we get here in the United States. For my New England friends, it reminded me of the salad dressing at the Hilltop Steakhouse. Good thing I liked it, because I would be eating that salad sauce many more times on this trip.

The steak was a bit on the tough side, but the sauce was fantastic. It was bursting with flavor, and had a bit of a kick to it. The French fries were excellent as well.

For dessert, I got the crème brulee, which was the best crème brulee I have ever tasted in my life. It was even better than the crème brulee I had on the Mousefest cruise in 2008, the infamous night of three desserts.

After dinner, we decided to walk back over to the cathedral so we could see the way it was lit at night. It was well worth the walk because the cathedral by night was even more breath taking than it was by day. It had kind of a gothic feel to it.

We went back to the hotel exhausted after a full and fun day wandering around Strasbourg and Kehl. We had walked over 10 miles, and my feet definitely felt it!