Strasbourg

Thursday of our cruise saw us hop the border into France to visit Strasbourg. At other times in history, a border crossing wouldn't have been required as the city was part of Germany. It's changed hands a fair amount over the years, so it has influences from both countries.

Our bus from the boat disembarked at the Barrage Vauban, a bridge, weir, and defensive work built in the 17th century on the River Ill.  Colors were drab under overcast skies, so this reflection looked best to me as a monochrome.

The towers of the Ponts Couverts.  The bridges haven't actually been covered since 1784, but the name has stuck.

A bush of blooming orange berries caught my eye in La Petite France.  My online research keeps pointing to them being holly, but I'm not sure the color or the leaves are consistent with that ID.

The La Petite France section of the city has a charming combination of half-timber building fronts and narrow canals.

I could have spent hours just in this small area, looking for interesting reflections off the water.

Johanes Gutenberg made his first attempts at printing with movable type in Strasbourg, and has his own monument as a result.  The inscription on the Bible he holds has changed over the years from French to German and back again as dominion over the city itself switched hands.

Cloud cover again made lighting a challenge -- an ongoing theme for our trip.  But even overcast skies can't rob a view like this of its charm.

The city's Christmas Markets were set to open the day after we visited.  But buildings like Le Tire-Bouchon restaurant had festively decorated their exteriors already.  Hard to beat giant stuffed white teddy bears as Christmas decorations go.

More to come!