Day 6 – Natzwiller-Struthof, Obernai and Strasbourg

During my last visit here in 2011 I discovered that the Germans had a Concentration Camp called Struthof which had been partially preserved as a memoriam and museum to the atrocities committed there. I thought that Bev might be interested so we drove to a rather remote place on the side of a mountain. The camp had been put there to mine a seam of granite and the prisoners were worked till they died. There was also a gas chamber for exterminating prisoners. It is a very sombre place. Unfortunately, due to it being Easter Sunday it was closed so all we could do was look at the enclosure and imagine being in that hell hole where life was measured in days rather than years. Winters would have been gruelling and bleak due to the snow. Even a nice day like yesterday was quite cool on the mountain.

We encountered a number of cyclists using the mountain as either a challenge or a training ground. It was certainly one which would test your legs. On the way there we noticed a nice off -road cycle route which was being used by the cyclists. I understand that there are a lot of off -road cycle trails that take you through the vineyards.

Our lunchtime restaurant

Our next stop was a very pretty town called Obernai. Similarly, to Ribeauville, the village we visited yesterday, it too is a historic. The old ramparts of the town are still visible in places. The buildings are uniquely part of this area. Half -timbered and very cute. Not so sure I would want to live in them though. We had a very Alsacien lunch which we thought needed a bit more seasoning.

Outside the Cathedral - impossible to get a shot of the front

We returned to Strasbourg, left the car at our accommodation and took the tram into centreville Strasbourg. It is a very quick ride and saves having to find a car park. I took Bev on a walk through the town to find Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg. It is a stunning building, primarily Gothic in design it has Romanesque features. The stone was mined in the Vosges mountains and has a pink hue. It is huge and the spire can be seen from quite some distance away, apparently from the Vosges mountains and the Black Forest. There was a queue to get inside but it moved quite quickly.

We wandered around the city and along the canal or river that encircles the oldest part of the city. It was a great day for people watching. The bars and restaurants were doing a roaring trade. We had some difficulty finding a café with a spare table but finally we found one and had a drink there.

One of the most noticeable things about Strasbourg is the tram system. Like many other cities it had a tram system until 1960 but it was closed, however the system was reopened with the first lines starting in 1994 and the last in 2010. It is fast way of getting around, the trams are frequent (about ten minutes is the longest wait in the weekend) and it is well utilised. The fares are reasonable as well. Another noticeable thing are cycleways around the city. They are mostly dedicated to bikes and as a result people of all ages are using them. There are bikes everywhere. It makes the city a very pleasant place to visit and presumably live.