Day Six - Strasbourg, France

This morning we woke up in the middle of the Rhine River with Germany on one side and France on the other.  The river has flowed as a barrier between the two countries at times througohut history.  We took a brief bus tour of Strasbourg, France.  The city is in the Alsace Region of France and has changed hands between Germany and France for hundreds of years.  (It is currently under French control, but there were people living in the city that had their citizenship change multiple times in their lifetime.)  The city was a Roman settlement in 12 BC, it became a strong and wealthy town during the Middle Ages, itsurvived multiple waves of the Black Plague, the town hall was pillaged during the French Revolution, it surrendered to the German Empire and then later returned to France after World War I, it was annexed by German troops in 1940, it was liberated and returned to France after World War II, it became the base of the Council of Europe and then home to the European Parliament.  Confused yet?  I am not sure how they could keep track!

We ended the bus tour near the old medieval customs house along the Rhine River in an area that marks the edge of the old city.  We walked along the cobblestone streets to the cathedral square in front of the more than 140 meter tall Strasbourg Cathedral.  It was begun in 1190 AD as a Catholic Church but was completed in 1880 AD as a Protestant Church because of the influence of the Reformation.  The cathedral is a mixture of styles and influences of the hundreds of years it took to build.  Its chapel was begun in the Romanesque style, but when the French gained control of the city the design was changed to the Gothic French style with an increase in stained glass and the construction of the tower and spire.  It is a unique cathedral due to its location and its numerous influences.  The French Gothic design was not completed traditionally in the 15th century because of the costs of erecting a second tower.  It is similar to the German Gothic style because it only has one tower spire but those tower spires were often in the center of the facade.  It was also similar to the French Gothic  style with its tower spire on the left side of the facade, but there is no tower spire on the right side.  According to our guide, the plans of the cathedral did call for a second tower spire but most money for church construction was often provided by those of great wealth to show off their wealth.  However, by the 15th century most merchants demonstrated their welath by providing construction projects that could brandish their names like schools and universities.

The exterior of the cathedral contains multiple life size sculptures nearly completely covering the wallsin stone.  Above the door, there is a carving that teslls the story of King Solomon who is seating on a throne surrounded by 12 lions which represented the 12 tribes of Israel.  Above that carving is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary with a larger pair of lions meant to acknowledge the connection between Judaism and Christianity.  The interior  of the cathedral has an open layout similar to most other cathedrals with stained glass windows.  On the right side, the windows contained the stories of the Bible and the windows on the left contained images of the former German emperors with castles behind them.  Also inside of the chapel within the cathedral is an elaborate clock that measures time in seasons, days of the week, hours in a day, cycles of the moon, and the place of the Earth around the sun.  How dis they do that so accurately?

In the afternoon, we walked through the German  town of Kehl on the oppostire of the RhineRiver from Strasbourg.  There was a lovely walking market that did not have the crowds found in Strasbourg.  We even happened upon a flower-filled garden with a world War I monument.  The spot was quite peaceful and was a nice way to end the afternoon of touring.

Tomorrow we are off to the Black Forest!