We re-join the grand European adventure as our ship glides into Strasbourg. Not actually into town, since the rivers that flow through that lovely city are too narrow and shallow to accommodate a cruise ship, but you get the gist. We were still chugging along as we went to breakfast, after having passed through several locks over night, with a few more to navigate. Traffic on the Rhine was especially heavy and so we were running behind schedule. As soon as we docked, we boarded busses for a brief driving tour of Strasbourg, after which we met up with our walking-tour guide, a feisty French woman who, stereotypically but authentically, said “ooh la la” at moments of crisis. Unfortunately, because of the travel delays, the tour was abbreviated. But we’d been to Strasbourg before and so were happy for the extra time on our own. We strolled around town, along the river, through quaint squares, scoping out a potential lunch spot. We made our decision based on the long line that had formed at L’Atelier 116, a sure sign of good food. After more strolling (good, comfortable shoes are required for traversing cobblestone streets) we stopped for a pick-me-up at Poids Plume Bistro Viet. We enjoyed a chilled glass of panaché, a yummy mix of beer and lemonade, just like a shandy in the UK. We made our way back to the ship in time for a demonstration on how to cook Flammküchen – a delicious thin crust, topped with onion, cheese and ham – yum! We had our safety drill and then another enjoyable dinner – roasted pumpkin soup, Chateaubriand, potatoes, steamed veggies, molten chocolate cake with ice cream. Mathias, the cruise director, joined us for dinner and we chatted about his life and career (from the Netherlands, married, kids, started working on big sea-going vessels, prefers the rivers, 28 days on a ship, 13 days off). Then back to the lounge for an evening of Klezmer music provided by a quartet (violin, bass fiddle, two guitars) from Strasbourg. Great toe-tapping stuff, lots of Django Reinhardt.
About fifteen minutes after we returned to our cabin we drifted away from shore and I drifted off to sleep.
3 Comments
Janet Corcoran
5/28/2019 09:52:20 am
Awesome! And was L'Atelier 116 as good as the line up suggested?
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Luanna
5/30/2019 03:32:12 pm
Oh, my, yes!! The ham & cheese sandwich was on the yummiest roll. And the little Linzer tart we shared was pure raspberry perfection.
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villa
6/18/2019 12:08:29 am
why did I read about ham and cheese and Linzer tarts at 12:06 a.m.,? well past my bedtime...now I'll have to raid the pantry.. for something sweet! Enjoying your tour....
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