Our German Summer 2014: Father and Daughter(s): Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg definitely had a different feel from the cities along the Rhine in Germany. Strasbourg is also on the Rhine, believe it or not. It was especially exciting for me since it was my first and only visit to France. The canals that run around and through the city made is picturesque. We stayed on the outside corner of the old city and we walked across a canal to get the famous cathedral and plaza.

walking to the "old town" area
This is the main attraction: the Cathedral. It is incredible. It is high gothic, just like the one in Cologne. We parked ourselves in an outdoor cafe right in front, ate crepes, and we watched a kind of light show; they lit up different parts of the facade as the sun goes down. http://www.worldsiteguides.com/europe/france/strasbourg-cathedral/
Loads of people hang around, drink coffee or beer, and watch.

(This one above is not taken by me but it shows its magnificence.)

The famous central rose window (it's massive) and you can see one of many colorful organs.

The inside is huge...I was impressed with these massive pillars that had statues all around.

This is an astronomical clock designed by scientists and artists in the 1300's.

Amazingly it still works. "The clock is basically a mathematical marvel. The clock has a mechanism which makes it able to determine the computus, which is the date of Easter in the Christian calendar, as well as foreseeing upcoming leap years. The clock also show the official time, it indicates solar time, the day of the week, the month, the year, the sign of the zodiac, the phase of the moon and the position of several planets."

You can watch it strike here: http://youtu.be/lKgZB3P45Kw