I had stayed over with a friend (from the USA) who was now based in Basel, and had enjoyed the previous day with him and his family. Today I was to meet up with another friend from work; the plan was to drive to Strasbourg and spend the day there. He picked me up around 7:00 AM, and soon we were on our way. After leaving Switzerland, we drove on the German side of the border until Kehl. We had not met in a long time and it was nice to catch up with each other during the drive. We crossed the Pont de l’Europe over the Rhine into France and parked the car close to Tour du Bourreau.
We started our walk around the Grande Île, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and then headed to the Ponts Couverts and Petite France.
Next was the St Thomas’ Church, and then, passing Place Gutenberg, onward to the Strasbourg Cathedral, a magnificent example of Romanesque and Rayonnant Gothic architecture.
Then, walking along the water, we saw the river locks of Strasbourg in action.
We stopped for lunch at Europ’Café.
After that, we passed by Kléber Square and onward to the Ponts Couverts and across the Barrage Vauban back to where we had parked the car.
Our next stop was the European district. It was a short drive away and we parked and walked to the Louise Weiss building of the European Parliament.
Along the river, there were benches designed by people from European countries.
We also saw the Agora - Council of Europe and European Court of Human Rights buildings.
I had booked a ticket on the IR2083 from Basel to Zurich at 6:37 PM, so we decided to head back so I would make it on time. The drive back gave us some more time to chat and soon we were crossing the border back into Switzerland. He dropped me off at Basel SBB and I bid him farewell. The train ride to Zurich was quick and I took a tram from Zurich Hbf back to the hotel. It was great to spend time with a friend and also see Strasbourg, overall a very nice day.
🍽️ Europ’Café