After my visit to
Switzerland in 1972, my next destination on my itinerary was
France. I ended up leaving southwestern
Germany where I was staying with my half-sister, took a train through
Alsace on the way to southern
France. This route took me down the
Rhone River valley and on to
Arles before heading west to
Narbonne on the
Mediteranean coast. From there I caught a train heading inland to the city of
Carcassonne which was my first destination. The old fortified city dates from the time of the
Visigoths, a Germanic tribe originating from the
Swedish island of
Gotland in the
Baltic Sea that settled this area and on south into
Spain. The
Visigoths left their homeland during the movement of various tribes into what was left of the
Roman Empire. The walls were restored in the mid-19th Century. There was a television program that I watched in the early 1960s about a war between the
English and the
French (
Black Prince).
Carcassonne was the setting for this program. I was intrigued enough to want to see the place firsthand. Google to find out more!
Here's a view of the typical countryside in southwestern
France. It was overcast weather but warm, not ideal weather for taking photos but I did my best.
Here's a view of the castle which I ended up taking a tour through and a view of the
River Aude with the old city of
Carcassonne in the background.
And what would
France be without
vineyards!
After my stop in
Carcassonne it was off to
Paris and then
Strasbourg,
Alsace in eastern
France. I took no photos in Paris (it was pouring rain when I arrived at my hotel on the
Rue de Gramont) but I did take a walk the next day in the old streets of
Paris before heading off to
Strasbourg where I did take quite a few interesting photos. The weather in
Paris was starting to get better as I left. Its known for its rainy weather because of its proximity to the
English Channel and the weather systems coming off the
Atlantic Ocean. You'll see the photos of
Strasbourg next. Meantime, enjoy these!! - V
Here are some more photos of the city of Strasbourg in eastern France (Alsace) taken during the 1972 trip that summer. You can clearly see why I was drawn to the region three times in a row and I am hoping on another visit at some point in the future. There are a lot of picturesque spots in the inner city (Altstadt) in and around the cathedral (Dom) that is captivating feature in the centre of the city. The image above was taken not far from the swing bridge and the photo below was taken on the River Ill which flows parallel to the Rhine River in a south to north direction. There were numerous tour boats taking people on excursions and there still are. The people of Alsace speak a dialect of German very similar to what is spoken in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) region of Germany across the border. French is the national language but many locals understand German. Its a complicated history that I'll discuss at some other point in time.
Above is a photo of the Kammerzell House facing the cathedral square (place in French or Platz in German). The image below shows the front entrance to the cathedral. Its impressive, close up or at a distance.
Then I found a street just filled with flags hanging with coats-of-arms from various towns in Alsace. Can you identify some of them?
The next few images show scenes of a part of the inner city called "Petit France." I find it very picturesque, don't you?
The photo above shows the lock on the canal system. The swing bridge is off in the distance (background).
I also found this fountain in the River Ill and as I've said there are picturesque houses from the middle ages everywhere. That's the swing bridge in the photo below.
Even Alsace is known for its chocolate (Chocolat Schaal). Try taking a street view (Google) of this city and see what it has to offer. Perhaps you'll see how much has changed since 1972 and how much hasn't. I took a journey through Strasbourg using street view over the last two days and found a few changes and other spots I had missed on previous visits. I hope you've enjoyed the photographic journey through Strasbourg's inner city! - V
