The passage

A passage to a long gone past, to my childhood

The CIA chateau

Well, we even have our very own castle here, the chateau de Pourtales! With a rich history.
Built in 1784, called after Mélanie, countess of Pourtales, a favorite of Napoleon the 3rd. When she was in town, she had many hosts: King Ludwig the 2nd of Bavaria, the German emperor, the Prince of Wales, many kings and queens, Albert Schweitzer, Franz Liszt, and so on.
Melanie died in 1914, and her castle closed in 1939.
After the war, the castle housed the Free Europe University in Exile founded by the CIA in 1951 to form cadres for the reconquest of Eastern Europe. I wasn't aware of this when I played in the park and used the chateau's toilets in the 60es...
In 1972, it became a campus of Schiller International University.
A fancy hotel occupies now the former stables, see below

Abandoned bunker on the Maginot Line

One of the last bunkers in Strasbourg. There used to be a lot more of them, as we are right on the german border. Growing up the 60es,  we kids used to play hide and seek or cowboys and indians in them.
Still a necessary thing for many.

CDP monthly theme day: abandoned

These are the 2 abandoned kittens we rescued in the last 8 years, In Cyprus and in Spain. Rio and Bundles.

How could someone have abandoned them at the first place??? Beats me.
More about the City Daily Photo blogs theme day here. And thanks, Peter, for not abandoning us! :-)

A weekend reflection

Happy blogaversary, Weekend Reflection! 7 years already, quite an achievement!

Into the wild

As I needed to take off rust from my legs, I went for a long walk (16 km, 8.5 miles) into the wild, aka the foret de la Robertsau, north of town. Many ponds in the area! And some critters.

Between the lines, or music is the key

I spotted this... painting (?) yesterday, in front of the university. As I am curious by nature, I dug, and fund out more. The artist call himself Dan23, His paintings are based on meetings with various people, and on music. More about it here 

Autumn

The fish market

I am cooking right now, so this seems the perfect post... Well, no fish tonight, I'm doing a fish-less Moroccan couscous.
This was painted by Joachim Beuckelaer in 1568, and can ce seen at the Palais des Rohan. More about the painter here.

Not your everyday car

2 CV, deudeuche, 2 chevaux... You dont see them very often anymore, and that's unfortunate, very unfortunate

Skywatch Friday

7.10 am from my kitchen window
Skywatch Friday is here

Just a staircase...

... in one of the museums I visited last Sunday
More B&W here

The palace of the princes-bishops-cardinals de Rohan

That's right, they were princes, bishops and cardinals, all together, all at the same time. And well, seems they didn't like Ikea forniture...

The bedroom, far bigger than our flat:

They were short people.
Wonder what the toilet looks like...

From Mooloolaba to Strasbourg, via Mulhouse!

Right, some background info... Mooloolaba is here:

I had the great pleasure and privilege of meeting Jo and Peter, fellow bloggers from Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Australia, in our not so sunny Strasbourg (well, not today anyway). They are "nomads", traveling through (mostly) french canals for a few months every year. Here is their cosy and comfy  ride:

Thank you, my friends, for the lovely time together! It is always a joy to meet fellow City Daily Photo-bloggers! 

Follow their adventures here!

PS... The boat is moored on the Quai des Belges, Belgian quai. Let's rename it 

QUAI DES AUSTRALIENS!

A day at the museums

This weekend was European Heritage weekend. Many places were opened for free. So, I went to three museums, and one palace. Perfect  rainy day for this! I've seen many wonderful sights! I will show you, follow the guide!

Poverty and despair in a welfare state

Boating on the canals

Autumn... Still many visitors in town.

I DISCOVERED A NEW PLANET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HERE IS THE PROOF!!!

A little earlier today, like many of you; I tried to get a somehow decent shot of the harvest moon. Hand held, without a tripod. Didn't work.
Anyway, after inputting the shots in my trusty Adobe Lightroom , trying to save something nevertheless.  To my immense surprise, I saw this: a blue planet.
As far as I know, we only have ONE moon...So, what is this thing??? Did I discover a new moon? Will they name it after...me???






PS: Damn! I suddenly realize... It was the blue street lights reflecting on my lense... So, no galactic glory for me. Oh well...

Wall jumpers

Hyperrealist  art, by Malcolm Morley, at the museum of modern art

True colors

The general color mood here is a drab pinkish-grey, more grey than pink. But now and then, you find some colorful places

Keep calm...

You buy 4, you take 5!!!

Umpapa!

Dancers, dressed in traditional Alsatian garb. Well, from this area, as every town or village has its own variation. Dancing is mostly jumping and turning around your dance partner.

And this is the band, playing equally traditional Umpapa music.A brass band, the music is typically southern German. By far not everyone's taste.

Almost Monday...

Just let me sleep.

A weekend reflection

Reflection at the Pont Vauban, the old fortifications.
More reflections here.

Skywatch Friday

Nice sundown, yesterday!
More Skywatch Friday here.

A bit of coddiwompling

Well, I ventured a little further away from Strasbourg, all the way to the land of the Swiss, an hour and a half away, for a little coddiwomple. To the city with many names, Basle, Basel, Bale, Basilea is quote wonderful, specially on a sunny day!
No plan, been there umpteen times before, usually for chocolate shopping. Just walking around. Coddiwompling.

The medical bill, aka the oldest wine in the world

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the oldest barreled wine in the world, in the basement of the old hospital, in the city center. It was given to the hospital in payment of a medical bill in 1472, 544 years ago. Not much cash around those days.
And how does it taste???
It is a yellow wine, 9.4 ° alcool, It taste of Madeira and herbs.
It was drunk only 3 times, in 1576 (by some people of Zurich, as a thank for them bringing warm...porridge), 1718 (foundation of the "new" hospital) and 1944 (by french  General Leclerc, who delivered Strasbourg from the Germans. Not alone though; he had some guys helping him). Who will be next, and when??? Will it be you? If it's you, bring me some, pleeeeaaaaase!

The lighter barrel next to it is a young wine from 1525. No worries, you can buy some more ordinary, very affordable wines. These are 20.000 liter casks.

Je suis stressé

I am stressed, says the guy having a coffee in bed.
Fitting on a monday.
Tag on an abandoned railway yard.

A weekend reflection

My participation to the Weekend Reflections theme. The same, in black and white:

The main library in town

Médiathèque André Malraux, the biggest public library in town (27 more). Books in several languages, magazines, CDs, DVDs, computers.
That's how it was 116 years ago, a warehouse for ships going up and down the river Rhine:

I confess, I am not a library user. Although a compulsive and avid reader, I prefer OWNING books? rather than having to give them back.

More infos about André Malraux here.

Minding my business

Here I was, minding my own business, when suddenly... Suddenly the annoying Mr Valls appeared out of thin air, the French prime minister, with his hoard of minder, soldiers, cops, overdressed belles, journalists, tv, and so on. He came to the place where I standing, admiring some cows. Please go away, the big guys with the thinggies in the ear told me.
Right, so I left the cows to Valls.
Anyway, he his about Bill Clinton's height (saw Bill at Easons, a bookshop in Dublin, some years ago).
No, he wasn't here for me! It was the opening day of the yearly European Fair.

Theme day: library

Here we go again: it's CDP's monthly theme, this month about libraries.
Well, here is one of mine, the open air free library in the Orangerie park. Take a book or two or five, bring them back (or not), donate your own books... Just feel free!
More library photos here!

Vertical challenge, with a crack

Does this put things in the right perspective? Does it make you feel small? Do you want to crack a joke? Well, go for it! :-)

Quai Saint Jean

The water is not often this green, unfortunately. The heat has gone, the temperature is close to perfect, with some wind, some fast moving clouds... Life is good.

Mess up your DNA

I spotted this sticker near a bus stop earlier today... Anyway, if this works, I am rather curious to see the result. Hopefully no flies involved, I already saw this movie.

Université Strasbourg

Which one is yours?

Europe...

Barriers even here. The high and mighty really dont want ... some to enter. Assholes.