Swany River
Today we docked on the other side of the track, well river, in Strasbourg, France. Actually we are not on the Rhein but on one of the smaller waterways, canals in Strasbourg. We woke to see lots and lots of swans in the river. Later we learned that there is a railroad yard across the way where they load grain onto boxcars and some of the grain gets into the river and that feeds the swans. We were told there are more swans per capita here than any other place in Europe.
We had signed up for an optional excursion to go hot air ballooning over France, but the weather (wind aloft) did not cooperate. Winds at 1000 feet were too strong so we were able to sleep in and join the regularly scheduled tour.
After a hearty breakfast on board, the first part of our tour was in a canal boat enjoying the town of Strasbourg and surrounding community. First we learned that Strasbourg is the capital of the European Community so we passed by the big modern glass parliment building and the Court of Human Rights.
We then passed into the older part of town where things looked more and more French. We passed through 2 locks in the canal and rode through the Petite France part of town before disembarking and going to the lively and lovely part of town around the cathedral.
This Cathedrale de Notre Dame, built between 1176 and 1439 is very tall, in fact the tallest in Europe at 469 ft and has a double facade which makes it look very lacy. The interior was somewhat dark but with more beautiful stained glass.
We decided to stay in town so we bought a bagette (yum) and split it for a lite lunch. We then set off walking around enjoying the beauty of the architecture, seeing many sidewalk cafes, and brousing a few shops. We wondered down into the Petite France section which was full of half timbered buildings and typical french streets. We stopped at a chocolate shop for dessert and continued enjoying our relaxing free time. Since the middle of town was a couple of miles from the ship, Uniworld provided a shuttle bus to bring us back to the ship.
The sun was shining brightly and it reached 67 degrees today. As we sat in the lounge this afternoon, we were enjoying the sun and swans as they float by the window. With such great sunny weather, we went topside to the sun deck and enjoyed the late afternoon.
Prior to dinner, we had a concert in the lounge featuring a wonderful French singer. She was accompanied by a gentleman who played accordion and they performed several well known French songs.
We are now back cruising on the Rhein with clear skys heading to are next stop. In fact, it's now 9:45 pm and does not get dark till approx 10:00 pm. We'll cruise all night and wake up in Breisach, Germany - our last stop before leaving the River Queen Thursday morning.
We had signed up for an optional excursion to go hot air ballooning over France, but the weather (wind aloft) did not cooperate. Winds at 1000 feet were too strong so we were able to sleep in and join the regularly scheduled tour.
After a hearty breakfast on board, the first part of our tour was in a canal boat enjoying the town of Strasbourg and surrounding community. First we learned that Strasbourg is the capital of the European Community so we passed by the big modern glass parliment building and the Court of Human Rights.
We then passed into the older part of town where things looked more and more French. We passed through 2 locks in the canal and rode through the Petite France part of town before disembarking and going to the lively and lovely part of town around the cathedral.
This Cathedrale de Notre Dame, built between 1176 and 1439 is very tall, in fact the tallest in Europe at 469 ft and has a double facade which makes it look very lacy. The interior was somewhat dark but with more beautiful stained glass.
We decided to stay in town so we bought a bagette (yum) and split it for a lite lunch. We then set off walking around enjoying the beauty of the architecture, seeing many sidewalk cafes, and brousing a few shops. We wondered down into the Petite France section which was full of half timbered buildings and typical french streets. We stopped at a chocolate shop for dessert and continued enjoying our relaxing free time. Since the middle of town was a couple of miles from the ship, Uniworld provided a shuttle bus to bring us back to the ship.
The sun was shining brightly and it reached 67 degrees today. As we sat in the lounge this afternoon, we were enjoying the sun and swans as they float by the window. With such great sunny weather, we went topside to the sun deck and enjoyed the late afternoon.
Prior to dinner, we had a concert in the lounge featuring a wonderful French singer. She was accompanied by a gentleman who played accordion and they performed several well known French songs.
We are now back cruising on the Rhein with clear skys heading to are next stop. In fact, it's now 9:45 pm and does not get dark till approx 10:00 pm. We'll cruise all night and wake up in Breisach, Germany - our last stop before leaving the River Queen Thursday morning.
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