Singing in the rain… (very cold rain)

On today’s manifest was Strasbourg. This city is supposedly where my great grandfather departed from to emigrate to a new land called California in 1875. I am truly excited to walk the streets and maybe get a sense of my past. Unfortunately, as I pulled back the curtains of our stateroom the sky was ominous and something was dripping from the heavens. Rain, ice, and little snow greeted us as we departed the ship. Oh well, we are here let’s do it!

There was a short bus ride around the city pointing out some of the major points of interest in this UNESCO World Heritage site. The architecture of some of the EU and UN facilities were stunning. However, it is the old section of the city where the charm of Strasbourg really shines.

The old city was protected by walls and canals from outside invaders...

now there are armed French soldiers walking the streets protecting this beautiful place and the people from terrorists within.

Today our tour guide was exceptional! His stories made history come alive, and although we had limited time, he kept the tour at a pace that allowed us to see and enjoy.

We stopped to watch a tour boat exit one of the locks and then pass through a swinging bridge.

It also provided a great photo op for our gang.

There were new and old sites along our walk to see, but this tree really put things into perspective. The sycamore in the far left of the photo is over 600 years old. It was a mature tree before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Stuff like that blows me away.

Our walking tour ended at the Cathédrale of Notre-Dame of Strasbourg. The holy edifice, which took centuries to build, has both Roman and Gothic components.

Why not a Black and White Photo - It was a dreary day

Homes and shops surround the church so there is a fairly small square, but a Christmas Market filled the open spaces. The Cathedral has two wonders that enthralled me. The 42-foot stain glass window as you approach the building, an astronomical clock that is a marvel of math and science inside. Our excursion included tickets to see the clock, and the rain was beginning to come down at steady pace, so we took refuge in the church.

The clock shows off all of its moving parts every day at 12:30. As we waited for the show, we watched a movie on the history of the clock and the man who designed it. Then the time had come! No single picture can capture all the movements of the clock, but suffice it say it was impressive. We looked up memorized as sounds and moments of this marvel performed its daily show.

We briefly walked around the church and for a few moments following the show the stain glass window came alive. The light from the window filled the church.

There was also a large creche that adorned a side wall telling the story of this magical season. The cathedrals of Europe, Catholic or Protestant, are truly works of art and beauty.

It was decision time. We could stay in this charming city and continue on our own getting in the Christmas spirit , or we could return to AMAKRISTINA for some hot lunch and dry clothes.

The later won, and we made our way back to the bus pick up location. Saying goodbye to Strasbourg, I knew one thing for sure – I shall return!

In the evening another opportunity presented itself. The small town of Gengenbach in Germany provided an option to visit a Christmas Market at a much smaller scale than we had seen so far.

What made this town’s market unique is that their town hall has the same number of windows as an Advent calendar and has made the Guinness book of world records as the largest Advent calendar in the world.

The snow began to fall as we drank glühwein and watched a play that no one understood on the steps of the town hall. Then the unveiling of the 5th window of the season. Our night was done, as we headed back to the ship for the night anxious for what tomorrow would bring. Hopefully no more rain.