Jim and I had a full day. We started the day in Strasbourg, France with a tour of yet another cathedral. Ornate, and towering over the old town center, it is one of the tallest in Europe.
Perfect timing, because when we entered the church, there was an orchestra and opera singer in rehearsal for a concert that evening. It was ear bliss - to sit in a pew in a cathedral built in the 1200's, with live opera and violins vibrating inside the walls -obliterating the voice of our tour guide.
(I enjoy learning but sometimes it is much better to just turn off the audio box and take in the sounds of the life surrounding me.)
We got back to our boat in time to join another tour to the Mercedes Benz manufacturing facility near Kehl, Germany, which Jim really enjoyed. We got to use the catwalk above the assembly line. Jim got pictures of the entrance and an old Formula One car, but we weren't allowed to bring cameras inside.
This evening before dinner we took a walk to a bridge in view of our ship. Our ship is parked on the German side of the river, but France is on the other side. This particular bridge was said to be divided exactly in half. So you could have one foot in France and the other in Germany at the same time. That was going to be the highlight of our walk.
When we got to the center of the bridge, I saw that there were many lovelocks there, the second bridge on our trip to have them.
I had never heard of this romantic phenomenon until this trip. Couples can buy a small padlock, which they engrave with their names and date. Then they go to the river, attach the padlock to the bridge, and throw the key into the river below. This is to show their never ending love for their partner.
The bridge in Cologne has so many lovelocks on it, the bridge engineers were talking about removing them. But there was such a public protest, they decided to let them be.
I thought it was just that one bridge, but when I saw locks on the bridge in Kehl, I did some research online and found out it is a worldwide tradition. Very romantic, although I did notice a few combination locks!
The ship is on it's way to Breisach now. Tomorrow is our last full day and it will be full!
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