Strasbourg is one of the most unusual cities in France. Located just a stone's throw from the German border, the city remembers very well that it once belonged to one state or another, depending on the outcome of several wars. As a result, the city's history is always closely linked to that of its neighboring country, Germany. It is a chequered history that has left its own culture: and that is certainly one of the great assets of Strasbourg.
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00:00We are on our way to Strasbourg.
00:12At Kale we cross the border into France and follow the instructions of our GPS across
00:16the city.
00:17After 400 meters turn right onto Rue de Vienne and then turn left.
00:44Finally we reach camping de Strasbourg, a campsite only a good 10 minutes away from
00:48the city center by car.
00:53Petite France is the lively tourist hub of the city, and our first destination after
00:57our rolling hotel room has been set up.
01:00This district, where we forget we're in a big city, welcomes us with cobblestone streets,
01:05canals, and Alsatian restaurants and well-preserved half-timbered houses.
01:09A terrace on the Wehrwobin, a covered bridge and the Weir, offer a magnificent panoramic
01:13view.
01:14The river Eau is everywhere here.
01:17The district spans a river delta consisting of five arms, from an air perspective, they
01:21look like the fingers of a hand trying to grasp the entire city.
01:37The river is peaceful, and a boat trip is recommended to get a different perspective
01:41on the district.
01:54We stroll nicely along the quays and enjoy the beautiful weather and the reflections
01:58of the old houses in the water.
02:06Only across the castle square away from the cathedral rises Rouen Palace, completed 1742,
02:12one of the most important buildings of Strasbourg.
02:14Formerly a residence of cardinals, emperors and kings, it now houses the Archaeological
02:19Museum.
02:23We stroll through the neighborhood around Strasbourg Cathedral with its alleys and numerous
02:39stores.
02:40It is the landmark of the city, and it can be seen from almost everywhere in the city,
02:44providing a good orientation guide as long as the city is not really known to you.
02:49The interior of the cathedral also has many special features.
02:52Sustained glass windows, mostly still original, from the 13th and 14th centuries.
03:05The astronomical clock from 1547 is a real highlight.
03:09It is a masterpiece of clockmaking and mathematics from the Renaissance and today still amazes
03:13with its technical sophistication and refinement.
03:43A real high-tech product of its time with a creepy effect when death strikes the bell
04:05and the cock crows.
04:16We took advantage of somewhat unsettled weather to stop by the European Parliament and take
04:20a look at the European institutions, from the outside.
04:24The seriousness with which work is done inside, we felt at the outside.
04:28And in the European Parliament we attended for a while a meeting of a committee whose
04:31topics we found interesting, worth seeing, and worth reflecting on things that are not
04:36really vacation topics.
04:47Saint Paul's Church towers above the roofs of the Neustadt.
04:50The buildings it towers over, however, are not as new as one might think, but date from
04:55the imperial era of the late 19th century, when Strasbourg was annexed by Prussia.
05:00We were fascinated by the municipal indoor swimming pool that is still in use today.
05:23The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.
05:26Founded in 1973 and moved into its own building in November 1998, it is one of the largest
05:31of its kind in France.
05:36Tommy Auneur, himself a native of Strasbourg, got his museum, here.
05:41As the first museum in France, this house is entirely dedicated to illustration, drawing
05:45of the 20th century and the present.
05:48If you want to see and experience how earlier generations lived in and around Strasbourg,
05:52the Alsatian Museum is the right place for you.
05:55It's quite easy to find, as it's located on the banks of the Ile River, on the edge
05:59of petty France.