10 April 2007

Driving through Alsace

On Good Friday we left for a driving tour of the Alsace Region of France. (We had originally planned parts of the Lorraine Region as well, but never made it that far.)

Our first stop was Colmar, a charming town a short distance from the Swiss border. It had a lovely canal running through the town.



Quaint, antiquated rows of houses and shops...

And one house that reminded me of the nursery rhyme that begins "There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile." This is where the crooked man must have lived...

We next drove to Strasbourg, stopping periodically in places that looked as if they might be interesting. But the highlight of Strasbourg was definitely the cathedral.
Not just for its gothic beauty...
Or its amazing stained glass windows...

But because it was the first cathedral roof my parents visited. And they climbed 330 stairs for the pleasure. In fact, the woman at the ticket counter was reluctant to sell us the tickets to climb the narrow, spiraling staircase.

But they were determined. Slowly but surely, they climbed those 330 steps. They needed a rest at the top of the stairs, but they were triumphant!

Not bad for a retired couple in the range of 70 years old. (Good manners prevent me from declaring their exact ages to the whole world.)

One last bit of fun from Strasbourg. Although it appeared in many ways to be very German, not surprising given how many times it changed hands between France and Germany in its long and frequently bloody history, it was most definitely a French city.
How else do you explain the Super-Sexy Chocolate Easter Bunny?
Take note of the cleavage on that bunny! Oh la la!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ummmm, why are my parents dressed alike????? What are you doing to them over there?????

Global Librarian said...

They buy their clothes on someone else's watch. I cannot be held responsible.

You live much closer to them than I. Perhaps you have been lax in your supervision of them?