Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg, located on the German border in the historic Alsace region of France, is the largest city in the eastern Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine region of France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. The historic city center, the Grand Île (Island), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the city is a cultural bridge between France and Germany, immersed in both cultures.  As we enter the city, we pass by the European Parliament.

 European Parliament

Approaching the Grande Île, we spot stork nests in the trees along the street.

 Stork nests in the city

In the city center, we wander the narrow streets, crossing the canals over hand operated bridges that open to allow boat traffic to pass.

Strasbourg Île, surrounded by water

Near the center of the Grand Île, we find the town square, Place du Chateau, and the Cathédrale Notre-Dame.

 Place du Chateau and cathedral

We wander the streets around the square and the cathedral, admiring the architecture of the buildings and the food in the shop windows.

Streets around Place du Chateau

 Shop windows

 On our way through the city, we see lots of great sculpture decorating the streets, parks, and gardens.

Sculptures

Returning to the Rhine, we cross over into Germany (where our ship is docked) and pass through the Biblischer Garden, which contains 17 (I'll only show 6 here) sculptures constructed of the same stone as the cathedral and erected in 2004 during a Rhine River Festival.  The sculptures show themes from the bible and were chosen by the protestant and catholic parishes which have coexisted on the two sides of the Rhine for centuries.

 Biblical garden sculptures

 Strasbourg is an intriguing city and a fun place to wander.