We sailed lazily onward
today almost as if gliding soundlessly on glass. The river borders were green with tall grass
and small trees and on the rocks nearer the river, the occasional fisherman.
Quietly, beautiful big white swans drifted
lazily along the shorelines, in pairs on the Germany side of the river, three
or five on the France side, observes my spouse.
We docked in Strasbourg,
France mid-morning. Security is tight,
they advised, which is a good thing. For
the first time ever, we were instructed to pick up our passports at the desk
and carry them in a safe place on our person.
If an authority figure such as a policeman or military person were to
ask to see the passport, you should be cooperative and produce it. But not to just anybody, they warned. So, feeling a bit intimidated, we tucked all
important cards, money and passport in inside pockets. Rob pinned his blue jeans pocket shut. Then we were off to the tram to the city
center. They were correct, security is
tight.
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| "No. No smile," she said. |
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| Les soldats |
There are cops everywhere
eyeballing everybody, usually traveling in pairs (not like the swans). There are large numbers of military personnel
dressed in camo fatigues carrying rifles.
This is supposed to give folks a sense of feeling safe, I think. For this chick, it just rattled my cage. On to the city.
Strasbourg was an
independent city in the early 1200s.
Then, France decided it wanted Strasbourg and so in about 1400,
conquered it. Roughly 100 years later,
Germany decided it wanted Strasbourg and overtook the city. The French stole it back during WWI. Then WWII happened and Germany conquered
Strasbourg once again. This time they
were serious. They not only confiscated
Strasbourg but they got all Hitler-y and established some serious
Nazification. A concentration camp was
established outside of town, the entire city was draped with swastikas and
ordinary folks were encamped for the slightest infraction. German was the language. Off to the concentration camp you went if you
spoke French. Or wore a beret. Or whistled “La Marseilles (French national
anthem).” The French can, at last, thank
America for kicking Hitler’s ass, rescuing and returning Strasbourg to
France. (Pay backs. If it weren’t for the French, we’d be
speaking the Queen’s English and paying a tax on tea and stamps. The French do occasionally come in handy.) They say the town folk here keep two sets of
car license plates handy, German ones and French ones, because you just never
know.
Notre Dame de Strasbourg
Cathedral is the centerpiece of the city.
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| The centerpiece of the city |
 |
Notre Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral
and the Rose Window |
It is an enormous structure, about the size of Delaware. The first block of stone was laid in the year
1015 and the very tip of the highest spire at 460 feet in the sky was finished
in 1439. They aren’t really sure of the
origination date but if it were to be true, the cathedral celebrates its 1,000
th
birthday this year. The detail of the
sculpture on the exterior structure is breathtaking and impossible to describe
in words. Just the eloquent rose window
is an incredible sight, maybe 75 feet in diameter. I can’t imagine the construction of such a
thing and how stable it has been over the centuries, how it has withstood the
elements and the weight of the surrounding structure. I’ve decided I want one just like it in our
Pahrump house but we may have to raise the roof and I may need to go buy a
little more glass. It would take me
weeks to assemble a rose window!
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| Rob before one of the entries to ND |
-Strasbourg to be continued-
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