Strasbourg Cathedral

So yes.... you can of course read about the Strasbourg Cathedral on the web.  It is, they say, one of the finest examples of gothic architecture around (though it also has roman elements etc). Not surprising, since it was apparently under construction for more than a couple of hundred years.



Strasbourg cathedral






Bottom line? It is beautiful!  It is literally covered with sculptures.... something like 2000 or more?!  You can see there nearly every biblical story you can think of: adoration of the magi, the wise and foolish virgins, etc etc.  This upside down guy on a cross caught my eye.

The inside of the cathedral is equally impressive: a gorgous organ, and stained glass windows that sparkle!  They are in the middle of cleaning up some of them, and you can really tell the difference (or at least, you can see how vibrant the colours are on the ones that they have been working on...





    



 

  



Astronomical Clock


The cathedral is also famous for its astronomical clock. It is a completely over-the top take on the traditional cuckoo clock! At noon (after a film that shows you all the details that you will later see), you get to watch the clock in action [a crowing rooster, a small angel turning over an hour glass, death ringing on a bell with a giant bone, and Christ giving his blessing to each of the 12 apostles who come out one after the other in procession.  Impressive.  You can check out other tourist's attempts to capture the clock here.