Return to Europe (in style)

[VPS]

Back to the hotel for a rest before heading out to the wine bar Le Cercle des Aromes, again, found previously by Boomy & VPS (who needs a Lonely Planet when you have AFF?) . I had already booked for the following night, unsure if I'd be up for going out the first one, but as they say: Where there is a wine, there is a way.

You could easily miss it:
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There was one guy, obviously the boss, or leader on both nights; this night his offsider I don't think was the #2 - he was on the following night, when i went again. Without a reservation and being just one, I plonked myself at the bar.

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I said I'd like to taste some local Rieslings and asked him to choose; I was there just after opening and the guy gave me quite a bit of his time explaining the various wines.

Started out pretty basic

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but soon went up into some Grands Cru

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They have about 200 wines available by the glass. Its all on a menu; this is just a part. I didn't order off the menu, just let him choose various ones from the district.

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There are a few to choose from!

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Also a selection of platter type snacks

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After a while I chose the Jambon de pata negra - from the black Iberian pig. I had a bit of knowledge about this stuff, having spent a number of weeks in Salamanca, Spain working and it was great to get back to the good stuff again. No pic, but a decent plate of finely shaved ham and nice fresh baguette pieces to go with it. I thought there were a couple of wedges of cheese with it and I tasted one - it was butter! but so glorious I could have eaten it neat.

Moved onto some local pinot noir - the same Grand Cru

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this one was the highlight of the evening for me

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The place was really buzzing by the time I left, abt 8pm, but I was hanging out to hit the bed - I had been a really long day.

I feel ashamed that I haven't finished my TR and you're doing yours on the go but there you go.

The night I was there the place was heaving. There was not a single glass left on the racks above and the two guys working there were just so efficient. I've never seen someone open a wine so quickly - they even smell the cork and taste before serving. They seemed to acknowledge everyone that came through the door while they were opening and pouring wine. Even though it was busy the owner made the time to chat and when I had a glass and said it was OK but I preferred something a little heavier he said here try this on the house. Great place.

 

[RooFlyer]

Next day was again cold and a bit drizzly. Decided to head to Strasbourg by train. Got the *very last* spot in the free Colmar station car-park and it was closest to the station!





Strasbourg station



Abt a 13 minute walk to the Cathedral, which has been on my must-see list for ages. These pics will combine this day's vaisit with a re-visit the following day, when I had more time than I expected AND I took my Canon camera with good telephoto with me. Its a big Cathedral!!

Hard to get the bloody thing into one picture - so large and the surrounding buildings pretty close.



Anyone who knows me that I just love a good gargoyle and grotesque.

 

[RooFlyer]

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg was started in 1015 and underwent starts and stoppages, under various designers and architects until the mid 1400s. At 142 metres, the spire made it the world's tallest structure from the mid 1600s to the late 1800s; its still the 6th tallest church in the world. The first cathedral on the site was built in the 500s.

The Cathedral was greatly vandalised during the French Revolution (statues of Kings and all that). Restoration projects almost throughout the late 1800s and 20th centuries, including after bombs hit in WW2.

Some views inside (this was taken when the Cathedral is closed in the middle of the day - I was one of the last to leave









Check out the 'roses' at the apexes of the ceiling vaults



And of course the stained glass; much dating from the 1300s. There are a number depicting the Holy Roman Emperors in the nave . Charlemagne second from the left












The main rose window in the narthex.

 

[RooFlyer]

One of the most popular features within the Cathedral is the Astronomical Clock. The present one dates from the mid 1800s and there were two earlier versions, the first from the 1300s. It shows the time, plus day of the week, month, year, the sign of the zodiac, the phase of the moon and more. There are a number of working pieces which are put into motion daily at 12:30pm. At this time the Cathedral is closed, and you can pay to watch the clock and see a related film.











And any number of other beautiful objects within the church

 

[RooFlyer]

There's no cathedral spire that's defeated me yet. At about 326 steps, Strasbourg was a good challenge. According to my Apple Watch, I didn't even break 90 bpm!!

Nothing like a good set of flying buttresses



You go up one spiral staircase and down another.





The view. Cold and occasionally wet.



The spire from the viewing platform. The spire is climbed by spiral staircases on the outer corners (not open to the public)



18th century graffiti



Looking up inside the spire

 

[RooFlyer]

Lastly a few more from around outside the cathedral

 

[TheRealTMA]

Next day was again cold and a bit drizzly. Decided to head to Strasbourg by train. Got the *very last* spot in the free Colmar station car-park and it was closest to the station!

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Strasbourg station

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Abt a 13 minute walk to the Cathedral, which has been on my must-see list for ages. These pics will combine this day's vaisit with a re-visit the following day, when I had more time than I expected AND I took my Canon camera with good telephoto with me. Its a big Cathedral!!

Hard to get the bloody thing into one picture - so large and the surrounding buildings pretty close.

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Anyone who knows me that I just love a good gargoyle and grotesque.

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! AFF members in stone!

Is that you at the end with the flute leading the masses?

(ps: great photos.)

 

[Quickstatus]

Strasbourg by train

Why is the seating elevated except for the one at the end

Canon camera with good telephoto with me... Hard to get the bloody thing into one picture

Add a wide angle to frame the big stuff without standing too far back?
..
It always amazes me when I learnt about stones in school geography that sandstone being the softest stones around can last for centuries as building material. I stumped the geography teacher re that question. He didn't like me after that

 

[RooFlyer]

Why is the seating elevated except for the one at the end

No idea sorry

that sandstone being the softest stones around

Softer not necessarily softest . And they built the walls pretty thick!

 

[RooFlyer]

Add a wide angle to frame the big stuff without standing too far back?

can do about that on my camera, plus my phone, but then it gets a bit distorted with straight lines of the edges leaning too far out

 

[drron]

Next, Kayserberg. Again, much appreciated by others, and by me, although I was flagging a bit by this time - only landed in Zurich the same morning. It deserved more time, so I planned to come back in a few days.

Does this qualify as sakura, @rbjhan ?

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A picturesque fortified bridge and a castle ruin above the town

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Sorry that tree doesn’t look like a cherry.
Likely the Judas tree so named as Judas hung himself from one. We have seen them all around the Mediterranean though coming to an end now in southern Europe. Would nearly be peak flowering in the north.
Real name Cercis siliquastrum.

 

[RooFlyer]

Then a stroll around the old city - actually 2 strolls; again I returned the following day to do a bit more but will combine all here.

Tempting...
'


Have to admire a city that chooses great paving



I wonder what's in there ....





I wandered down to Petite France where many buildings from 17th and some from 16th century survive around various channels at the edge of the Grande Île.

 

[RooFlyer]

Then back to Colmar by train. First class, of course!

Strasbourg Station





Various castles along the way ... I think the second is Haut Koenigsbourg , my next visit.





As I found all down Alsalce and into Savoir, crops of canola in full bloom (and smell). Yes, Haut Koenigsbourg on the hill.



That evening was a re-=visit to Les Cercles des Aromes and I was now fully prepared to really enjoy it. Again, arrived promptly on opening and this time at a reserved table. Met like an old friend

This time I asked my host to show me a variety of local Riesling Grands Cru. The first was so light that it was not really worth the bottling (I thought )



The next had much more texture; took me a while to understand the label!



Possibly the best for me; but I discovered 'schistes' didn't mean what I thought it did (and I'm still not entirely sure ...)



Moved onto Pinot Noirs - this my favourite



A comparison to be sure

 

[RooFlyer]

Local smoked trout



And for the cheese and meats something a bit stronger: Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the Rhône. OK, I'm a sucker for a label.



Meat and cheese platter - this was dinner don't forget!



So I waddled out and walked a bit off around the town in the dusk

 

[RooFlyer]

Next day I planned to drive early to the Haut Koeningsbourg castle as parking is scarce, but at the last minute I decided to take the train to Sélestat and take the shuttle-bus. I should have driven

Easy park at the Colmar station, but a wait for the next train. Then at Sélestat, difficult to find the shuttle bus stop, but eventually found it - its part of a regular bus route, not a special shuttle. I was still early, so another 30 min wait. Bus arrives 5 mins late and ... I think it must have been the driver's first day. Every pax boarding had a little chat; he mucked up a few tickets etc etc. Eventually left 15 mins late.

Then, he and pax in first row had a good old natter, which of course in volved the driver waving his hand all around, notwithstanding half the journey was on very narrow roads with soft edges and numerous hairpins. This is approaching the castle. If I had driven I would have gotten a park right at the top, at opening time. As it was, we arrived a good 30 mins after opening.



Which you might think isn't so bad - except its school holidays and the numerous groups of school kids of various ages, but all LOUD didn't make it memorable.

The castle was originally constructed in the late 12th century and extended in the 15th but after that has been pillaged, burnt and destroyed several times. It was majorly reconstructed in the early 20th century and more restoration in the early 2010s. As such it lost some of its appeal to me - I like my castles unrestored, but there you go. There are extensive apartments with the old ceramic wood heaters ...

 

[RooFlyer]

A less eventful bus ride down (except for the driver deciding to apply some lippy on the fly ...)! Not having taken so long at the castle, I went back to Strasbourg, as noted above.

 

[TiredOldFlyer]

Great Stuff Roo Flyer.
Enjoying your report.

 

[RooFlyer]

For my third night in Colmar, i went to Restaurant Incontournable (literally 'Unavoidable' but I suspect it had a subtler meaning!)

I arrived shortly after they opened at 7pm and was the second party to arrive, but it quickly filled up.



The menu - there was also a 6 course option and a 4 course veg option:





My host's English was about as good as my French, but with Google translate we got there.

Amuse bouche - some sort of pureed avocado.



Starter of egg parfait with celery and dandelion. The texture was quite runny and needed a spoon to finish it off. This was after I'd dipped a fork into it.



I chose the suggested wine pairing. Didn't pic the one for the starter, but for the entrée it was this. Not local, which was a shame.



Entrée of salmon (or trout?) with parsnip.



For mains:



Main of duck, which was rather chewy, as was the grilled leek.



Desert of rhubarb, white cheese and (I think) grated ivy)



Overall, maybe 7/10. Marked down for some tough duck and non-local wines.

 

[VPS]

Interesting that got really good reviews but I couldn't get a table when I was there.

 

[RooFlyer]

Interesting that got really good reviews but I couldn't get a table when I was there.

The hotel got me a table that morning! Season?

Next day I was bound for Trier on the Moselle in Germany. Quite a long drive (and back the following day) but this was one place I've wanted to visit for a while and this trip seemed like the one to do it.

I also wanted to visit Worms (rhymes with Forms, as I'm sure everyone knows!!) to see the Cathedral, so that gave me the excuse to cross over to Germany at the start and take the autobahn northwards, avoiding the French toll roads . Worms marked with the heart, marking my saved parking garage in Google maps. At least at Worms, the Parkhaus ticket machine took cash only.



It was a pretty monotonous drive up to Worms, but I was also lucky, in that the autobahn going south had many patches of 10km or so of traffic jams.

Worms was founded in antiquity and the Romans occupied it, of course. St Peter's Cathedral was begun in the 1200s, with additions over the following 200 years. It has had some rebuilding, but mostly re-assembled stone-for-original-stone. Deliberately burnt and restored in the late 1600s. It received a bomb-hit in WW2m but not much damage.







Inside wasn't as impressive as I thought







This is the Bishop's Courtyard, at one end of the Cathedral. Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation in the early 1500s. From Wikipedia:

Luther taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds; rather, they are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge, and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood.

As a result, Luther was brought here to the Bishop's Courtyard in April 1521 and asked to recant his teachings - he refused and was condemned as a heretic and excommunicated.



There is a memorial to Luther nearby