Scintillating Strasbourg
Alsace (France) – Tue 6th Sept 2016 – Rest day in Strasbourg
Weather: 13⁰C min – 25⁰C max, fine, clear blue sky
“A mountain bike is like your buddy. A road bike is your lover” ~ Sean Coffey
What a change of routine it was this morning – no pressure to jump out of bed rushing to get to breakfast by a certain time, or having to pack up my panniers to get on the road. It was like being on holidays! Breakfast (consisted of fresh fruit, yoghurt, French bread stick, cheese, sliced meat, olives, and breakfast tea) was at my own good time in my comfortable little studio apartment.
By the time I Skyped a friend in Sydney, attended to some emails, and pottered around, it was nearly 11 o’clock when I ventured outside, to be greeted by a perfect autumn day without a cloud in the sky. Wasting no further time, I jumped on my trusty bike, switched on my Garmin GPS and selected the 14 Km route I had prepared to take in the main points of interest.
La Petite France was high on my agenda of places to see and I was not disappointed. Situated on the western end of the Grand Île (Strasbourg town centre) it is an historic area with various canals cutting through the middle of it. What makes it so charming is its many German-influenced, timber-framed houses reflected in the water. It wasn’t always that way; historically, La Petite France was a poor section of the city, occupied by mills and tanneries. For many years it was just a dirty, smelly place, until the industrial age came along and things changed. Since the middle of the 20th century, La Petite France has been transformed into a charming tourist destination, with its many 16th and 17th century houses preserved.
Taking full advantage of Strasbourg’s 500 Km of connected bicycle paths, I rode along the various canals, through beautiful parklands, and past countless timber-framed houses, restaurants, cafes, boulangerie patisseries, and interesting shops. There is just so much to see in this lovely city I can’t wait for explore it further by bike tomorrow, when another perfect sunny day is forecast.
Very beautiful houses. It appears that the place is surrounded by water. So the bike has become your lover! I think you are right the bike has certainly become your lover. Oh I listened to Bas’s dinner menu, What a feast you guys had on a barge?? Sounds more like a hotel meal it was worth the money going on a Barge with what seems to be a lively and lovely gang of people.
My Cannondale Tourer is half way between a mountain bike and a road bike, probably more like a buddy than a lover! Missing you heaps. Also missing the fabulous meals and company I had on Iris.