I had wavered between staying in Strasbourg or Colmar for this leg of the trip. Either way I wanted to see both. Compliments of the French train strike I only had one day that I could visit Strasbourg and this was it.
My plans for Strasbourg were pretty loose. The Cathedral was a must see, apart from that I really just wanted to wander, take photos and explore.
First things first, my first French breakfast. It had to be a pastry but being in Alsace I spotted a French/German hybrid pastry in a bakery window in Colmar. A pretzel, filled with ham and cheese, the bretzel lardon fromage. I don’t mind if I do! And a few more fabulous looking window displays on my walk to the station.
There are frequent trains between Colmar and Strasbourg so my schedule was pretty flexible. And being regional trains there is no need to book ahead.
Strasbourg is a large city and home to the European parliament and many other large European institutions so it is modern and bustling, but like Colmar has an historic section built in the Alsace style. This was what I wanted to visit. It also has one of Europe’s most impressive Cathedrals.
The day was quite gloomy and drizzly. I made my way from the station to the Cathedral as soon as I arrived and was able to walk straight in. The crowds had certainly built up by the time I left so I had seemingly timed it perfectly.
The interior of the Cathedral is quite dark, it took my eyes a few minutes to adjust and take in the splendour.
There is also roof access via a flight of stairs and since I’ve never seen a set of stairs I didn’t want to climb… Despite the gloomy day, the views were still quite good.
Once I was happy that I had spent all the time I wanted to at the Cathedral I wandered and explored more of the historic centre of Strasbourg. I found the canals and then had a late lunch of Rosti, which I think is more Swiss than either French or German! Delicious regardless.
After a leisurely lunch followed by some gelato, as you do, I was feeling pretty tired and decided to head back to Colmar. There was obviously a lot more to see but the pace of my trip was catching up with me and I was ready to bid Strasbourg farewell.
Back in Colmar I took my time walking back to my accommodation from the station, enjoying a stroll through the park the separates the more modern part of town from the historic area.
After passing some street markets and a bit of window shopping I visited my first museum of the trip. I had done museums to death on earlier trips and wasn’t overly interested this time but this one caught my eye. The Bartholdi Museum, devoted to the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. A resident of Colmar. Much of his other work was quite remarkable too.
The museum wasn’t far from my apartment, nor was the Cathedral which I had a look at next. I am not at all religious but I do admire great architecture and I have some friends who also love their churches so I made a point of visiting many, both for my enjoyment, and to share photos with friends. Similar to Strasbourg, this Cathedral was quite dark inside and took a little time to adjust to. It was simple and elegant.
Time for a treat! My apartment was on the Cathedral square, as was the most gorgeous little patisserie. I earned these 😉
The rest of my evening was spent planning the next couple of days and enjoying a light dinner at one of the tourist traps in the square. I really didn’t have the energy to look any further afield. Another enjoyable day and so much new territory covered.
See the World with Me 
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