Switzerland - Part 2 - France

This is the second post, in a series about my trip to Switzerland.  You can find the previous post here.

The second day of the trip was spent just over the border from Switzerland, in France. In fact, we traveled through three separate countries - Switzerland, Germany and France. We rented an SUV for the week and had a blast driving all OVER the place. I handled the driving and my daughter A was the navigator. My wife was in the mix, helping us try to interpret signs and road markings along the way. You know, trying to help us not die in a horrible car wreck ; )

My daughter, the car model...

Our first stop was in the Alsace region of France and Switzerland, in the city of Colmar, France. This is a beautiful little town, with a lot of character:

We spent a lot of time doing this - looking up at amazing sights ; )

As with most Robison trips, food is the primary concern.  We decided to have lunch at a little restaurant near the city center - the Restaurant Pfeffel:

It was a wonderful little French restaurant, that specialized in Alsace regional dishes.  They even had an old-fashioned high-chair for baby L:

We started off with something called a Tarte Flambée (flammenkuchen in German) - thin bread dough rolled out like a pizza, covered in white cheese (fromage) and bacon, onions and other awesome things that I can't remember ; )

We could have ended the meal right there, as it was fantastic!  However, I had the chance to try an Alsatian specialty - beef stew.  They prepare the dish in this special decorative cookware:

After lunch, we walked through the streets of Colmar:

We came upon St. Martin's cathedral - built back in the 13th century.  Apparently, the foundation dates back to 1,000 AD, while the largest dome was completed in the 16th century.  The exterior is amazing - with a mixture of stone colors and textures from several different centuries.

My wife and oldest daughter spotted something on the roof of the cathedral - a HUGE stork nest.  Apparently, the storks are a big part of the Alsace region, as the bird appears on the official emblem of the region.

Inside the cathedral was a grand display of stained glass - just an amazing collection.  I couldn't find any written information about the artists or how old the glass was - so I'll just show you some samples:

That's it for Colmar - just our first stop for the day.  Here's my wife and both daughters, posing in front of the colorful flowers that you'll find all around the city:

Our next stop was also in France - this time, it was Strasbourgh.  This is another fantastic city with lost of tiny European streets, filled with cafes and stores.  Strasbourgh has a large canal system that winds through the city, making the views even more pretty:

While walking through the heart of Strasbourgh, we found the Cathedral of St. Thomas. Construction on what you see, began in 1196 AD.  The gothic church was completed in the 1500s.  I think the most amazing feature of the church was the organ:

Throughout the day, baby L was a real trooper.  My wife uses a baby bjorn and carries L all over.  L absolutely l-o-v-e-s to see everything that you are walking towards:

We continued through the city streets:

We headed straight for this cathedral that you can see far away in the distance - the monstrous Strasbourgh Cathedral, or Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg:

The interior was no less amazing.  It's a great example of Gothic architecture, and the 6th tallest cathedral in the world.  Construction on the church started in 1176 and finished in 1439!

We also found the Rohan Palace, which was built back in the early 1700s.  It reminds me of all the Baroque architecture in Paris:

As I've said, strolling through the streets of Strasbourgh is a real treat.  Around every corner, you'll find more unique buildings, flowers, shops and people:

Obviously, a very serious father-daughter conversation ; )

We ended the evening at an outdoor cafe, where we enjoyed some wonderful French dishes in beautiful weather.  This cafe was located right next to the canal:

That's it for now.  Join me tomorrow, when we journey to the Swiss city of Luzerne, and one of the steepest train rides I've ever been on...