David's Diary: Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2001
Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg Cathédrale
Today was another one of those days when the children had finished school by lunchtime so we headed into Strasbourg to do some touring before dinner. After navigating into town, a challenge with the various canals in the city, we headed straight for Cathédrale Notre-Dame or as everyone calls it Strasbourg Cathédrale. Recognizable by its reddish stone and single tower, it dominates the city skyline.
Astronomical Clock
We visited the interior and enjoyed a walk around the church. One of its most impressive features is the astronomical clock. Originally created around 1350 the clock did not work until 1571 and was then completely restored by Jean-Baptiste Schwilgué in 1838. The clock strikes every quarter hour with various figures moving and striking bells. For reasons never explained to us, the clock is a half hour behind regular time. The most impressive display is at 12:30, but as it is mid-afternoon we had to miss this pleasure.
The children wanted to climb to the church roof so we walked up the 328 steps. These were spiral steps that in the lower reaches of the tower are enclosed. In the upper reaches, there are views from the stairs and Kevin found it difficult to keep going up the stairs as you look out and see the house roofs below you. At the top there is a platform from which you have great views of Strasbourg. Despite being so high, the tower rises yet another 40m/131ft above the platform. We wouldn't want to be the person that has to climb to the top of the tower -- the platform was high enough.
Halloween Display
After our climb down we visited the Old Town around the Cathédrale. The streets are narrow and lined with upscale shops. It is still September, but the Halloween displays are already starting to come out. We enjoyed the displays of pumpkins, witches, and gnomes. The figures appeared more ceramic than the typical plastic ones that we see in Vancouver. We will be on the boat when Halloween does arrive and we have not yet figured out what we will do to celebrate.