Petite-France, Strasbourg

It was a magnificent, sunny day and we took full advantage for a trip into Strasbourg.

We are on vacation with our American expat friends: four Adults, two 16-yo girls, a 15-yo boy, two 10-yo boys, and a 7-yo boy. All of us enjoyed a big breakfast together in the beautifully restored 16th century mill house we are renting in a little Alsace village, then set off in two cars to Strasbourg, about 30 minutes away.

After pausing for lunch, we walked a kilometer or so along the scenic canal lined with historic half-timbered houses - hoping to get tickets for a boat tour. But the line for the boats was over an hour wait :( So we did some touring on foot, then grabbed tram and bus tickets to venture out to the Jardin des Deux Rives - or the Park of Two Shores, on the banks of the Rhine river. Here we crossed the new pedestrian suspension bridge that connects the neighboring countries- stopping mid-way so that we had a foot in France and one in Germany.

Returning to the city center, the day ended with dinner at another outdoor cafe on cobblestone streets, surrounded by the incredible architecture of houses and churches built long before Columbus sailed to America. All the while we were serenaded by classic street musicians. It was a quintessentially European vacation day, full of wonderful fun with very good friends :)