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.

Charmille

This is called a charmille, in french. The definition I could find: bower, or arbor.
Anyway, a shady place. Temperatures are soaring here, 36 degrees tomorrow in the shade, over 100 F.

Passerelle des 2 Rives

The pedestrian bridge (passerelle) linking both shores (rives) of the Rhine river, by the architect Marc Mimram, a master of mathematical science (wow). Quite impressive, but Calatrava, he is not. Calatrava was too expensive, I guess.
Well, what can I say, I am a big Calatrava fan!

The riding school

Wannabe cowboys/girls? This is the place!

NEED HOLIDAYS!!!

But... Oh well, maybe next year.
2 years ago, a short stint in Breizh, Brittany. The city of Dinard, seen from Saint-Malo, across the bay, 717 km from Strasbourg, as the stork flies. Or 387 nautical miles, as the salmon swims.

The hidden square

There is a secret place, 2 mn away from the cathedral. No cars, quiet, a few cafes and restaurants, entrance through passages in side streets... A gem!

The Camille way of photography

I had some comments comparing the photo on yesterday's post with painters like Seurat and Afremov. Thanks!!!
I felt challenged, in a good way! I really like Camille Pissarro, therefore I decided to try to transform the photo into what I hope this painter would have liked. Presumptuous me. Anyway, I like what I did, in 3 hours work. Whaddaya think?
I still to find out how to do pointillism.
Below, the original RAW shot.

More boating

Spotted those 2 boats near the European Council. They might be patrolling the area when all the politicians are in session.

A bit of boating

Enjoying a leisurely afternoon on the lakeside. No beach anywhere...

No, dont want!!!

This guy was trying to entice his dog do come out of the river Rhine... Took him a long time, the doggy wanted to stay cool.

St Odile, a chapel

There is a big convent on top of Mount St Odile, the Hohenburg. St Odile, holy patroness of Alsace and of the blind or partially sighted, created it a while ago, around 680 AD. One of the later built chapels. I dont know who Eugenia was, but Leo (the 9th) was the only ever alsatian pope,

View from the top

Journey to the top...

... of Mount Sainte Odile. Odile is what catholics call the holy patroness of Alsace. Anyway, the sky seems bigger, from 750 meters up

 

Art

Some unknown sculpture (?) discovered yesterday

This is an international border

Pedestrian border bridge (bicycles allowed) between Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, on the river Rhine.  It is situated in a big bi-national park, on both shores. I took this photo in France, but the bikers were in Germany, I guess.  No controls, not even a "you are now leaving..." sign. As Schengen is going fast down the drain, this "freedom" might not last. Unfortunately. When will we see all borders abolished, geographically, and in people's minds, at least in Europe???

The food mile

This is the main touristic street in Obernai, a line of restaurants, all serving pretty much the same alsatian specialities.

The little train

The little train on wheels in front of the tourist office in Obernai

Classy!

So I went for a bit of shopping, to Karlsruhe, the next big German city, an hour away. Some nice buildings there... This is but a side entrance to the former palace of the local dukes, now a museum.

What will it be?

Hot day today in Karlsruhe, southern Germany!

You've been framed!

Howdy! How was your day, what did you do? Well, I framed a goat! :-)

Obernai

Out for lunch in the very pretty (and very touristy, hordes of Germans) town of Obernai, 25 km away. With a little bokeh for dessert!

Weekend in black and white

Street art can at times be quite amazing! Want some more monochromes? Click here!

Photogenic...

This has to be my favorite places in town...

Monthly theme day: my skyline

Strasbourg skyline, taken from the fortifications.
More skylines here.

Waterways

Strasbourg is basically an island, la Grande Ile, the big island. A lot of water here. It used to be far more, as many of the streets are dried out rivers (called ramblas in other places). So canoes should be a convenient way of going around town...

A weekend reflection

More weekend reflections here