The seat of major EU institutions are in Strasbourg, among them the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. The buildings are modern, mostly glass and steel, which is quite a contrast to the quaint city centre area of Strasbourg, where Alsatian architecture (often feels Germanic) dominates. Of course, the city has been in both the hands of French and German over the centuries, so it’s natural that the influence from both cultures can be deeply felt.

Outside the European Parliament, this sculpture above drawn me to it. From afar, I initially thought it was the figure of strong protecting the weak, or a mother holding a child. Upon closer inspection though, it was more like entertwining embrace of a couple, encased in a loose heart shape. Designed Ludmilla Tcherina, this is a strong imagery of Europe that has a heart.

The Strasbourg Cathedral is one seriously impressive structure. Its height tall beyond anything that I’ve ever seen, standing majestically at 142m into the sky, it took over 400 years to construct this Romanesque/Gothic cathedral which is lavishly adorned with stone figures. It does get rather overwhelming, so I zoomed the camera in and photographed this small part of rose carvings instead. And instantly loving it.

The weather in Strasbourg this weekend is not quite like what I’ve gotten used to in Paris in the past few weeks (read: sunny) and is everchanging. One moment, it’s warm and sunny, and the next windy and chill-inducing. I was out for lunch today with my friends, sitting at the outdoor restaurant at Place du Marché Gayot, which was very pleasant until we started to shiver and wished we wore something else that were not shorts, mini-tees, skirt and sandals. We skipped desserts in favour of bulking up our outer-wears…