5-27, 28, 29, 2025 The Rest of the Story

The next two days were regular tourist days. I showed Teresa the inside of the cathedral and showed her all the little quirky things that are there…. Like the tiny bent over man that is carved into the bottom of a pillar. He appears to be holding up the cathedral with his back.

Then there’s the man riding a rooster perched on an upper ledge. What’s that about ??? 

Of course, there’s the famous “Horloge Astronomique”— the astronomical clock. We spent quite a bit of time there. Although we didn’t see the grand movement of all the figures, we got a teaser at the quarter hour. 

The inside of this Cathedral tells the history of the region in many ways—through the impressive stained-glass windows, the statues and just the general architecture. It’s a place that truly takes my breath away every time I see it.

In addition to the Cathedral, we went to l’Orangerie which is a huge park that features the palace of Josephine, the wife of Napoleon, and houses many many storks. It’s really a stork sanctuary. Although the day was dreary, we saw the beauty of the gardens and the expanse of lawns.

During the time it rained, we visited the European Parliament and learned about how the European Union operates. It was impressive. I visited it once a few decades ago so it was nice to get a refresher on the European government. (Note: The chamber where the parliament meets was under renovation. We sat in the gallery and listened /watched the European Union in "action" with headphones and a device.)

Before we left, we had dinner with Celine at a restaurant in Bischheim where Fabienne lives. It was a lovely end to a wonderful vacation.

Before going to bed, Teresa and I toasted our grand vacation one last time with a dram from Scotland, the beginning of our adventure. Salut!

We left our fabulous apartment early on the 29^th, took the tram to the train station, took the train to the airport in Paris, took the plane to Seattle and then on to Boise. Whew! 

I left Boise on Monday, returned to Spokane and started my recovery from jet lag. 

…and thus ends the 2025 adventures of MaryLou with her sister, Teresa.