France June 2006 - Strasbourg
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We went to Strasbourg for a wedding (a young man whose family owns a vacation apartment in Montchavin across the hall from Chez Pinault), and the city of Strasbourg proved a nice surprise. It's in the Alsace region of France but has more than once been part of Germany. The historic architecture featured a blend of Munster-German and French cultural influences (and way too much pork on menus.) |
The wedding! The ceremony was in a beautiful Strasbourg cathedral (not the famed Cathedral pictured somewhere below). Not speaking French was bad enough, but not being Catholic made me completely ignorant of the procedings. Still, the emotion in a marriage ceremony is universal.
At the reception, the Montchavin kids (including Mr. Pinault) serenade the groom and bride, who are at the bottom right.
The medieval cityscape of Strasbourg is too quaint for words.
The Ponts Couverts (covered bridges) of Strasbourg, with the famed Cathedral in the distance and a group of nuns relaxing on the bank (that white and blue blob).
The base of Strasbourg's immense gothic Cathedral, which was the world's tallest building from 1625 to 1847. Construction took place from 1176 to 1439, with an 18-meter astronomical clock (one of the largest in the world) being added in 1843. The night I took this picture, we finished dinner at a nearby pizza cafe at 10pm (downright early-bird by French standards) and strolled by the Cathedral just as a light show started, with colored lights highlighting different parts of the Cathedral in time to classical music. We stopped and watched just as the rain that threatened all day finally came down in torrents. Then a young woman suddenly appeared in front of the crowd and began a ballet-style dance in the rain. She danced for a full ten minutes in the downpour, until the light show ended. It was surreal and beautiful.
Strasbourg street rendered with my camera's illustration feature.
On our way to Toulon, we stopped at a castle about an hour south of Strasbourg. It was built in the 15th century by French and remodeled after World War I by Germans. Photo by Mr. Pinault.
In the castle: French boys playing with 16th century cannons.
In the castle: French man playing with 16th century cannons.
On the way to Toulon, we stopped in the town of Colmar for a coffee and some shopping.