Strasbourg

Where to start with Strasbourg.

The city seems to have it's own unique feel from the rest of the cities I've been in so far. Considering how it's right on the German border the city is infused with the two cultures from food to drink to language. When i woke up, my first priority was to figure out a solution for my bike. Getting around by bicycle was a breeze. Strasbourg is considered one of the most bike friendly cities in France and I would agree. I have never seen so many bike lanes! However sometimes it was hard to find a place to lock your bike up because every rack and light post is taken. I knew I needed to get my tired trued again which wasn't a big deal so I dropped it off at a shop and went exploring. The first stop I went to was Strasbourgs massive cathedral. Like Metz it is also the center piece of the city where everything spreads from. The gothic architecture was similar to the previous cathedrals, but through it's intricate details it set itself apart from the rest. (I hope to add pictures soon, i haven't been around a computer lately).
I then let my feet take me over to Petite France which is a set of a couple small islands right on the river. The houses were those out of a storybook. They all went up two or three stories and were half timbered like one would expect to see high in the hills or tucked deep in the forest. I went into a restaurant and I ordered my first taste of the Riesling wine that the Alsace region is so well known for and ate a true Alsatian meal. The wine was actually light, crisp and even a little spicy which which was a nice change from the overly sweet ones that are usually found in Canada. However, since it was my first Riesling here I'm not gonna be quick to judge the others I taste. My main dish of my meal consisted of a huge pile of sauerkraut accompanied by a huge thick slice of ham/backonish meat, German sausage and two other meats which I can't recall right now. The meal was huge and I couldn't finish all of it. However it definitely hit the spot. To top it off as I sat there, I could hear off in the streets somewhere someone playing Que Sera, Sera in the most stereotypical French way possible. It was a good finish to lunch which took nearly an hour and a half.
After leaving the restaurant, the midday heat which was close to 30 degrees was not cooperating with my very full stomach. I decided to head to a park close to some of the old covered bridges that were built before WW1 and sit in the shade. Unfortunately, the bridges were under renovation so I only really got a small idea of how they really look, but the shade was nice. After sitting for a while it was time to go get my bike so I took my time walking the streets taking in whatever was on the way. Once I got my bike I shopped around for something to move the weight forward on my bike for when I left Strasbourg... But nothing seemed to work out the way I wanted it to. I know after riding the past 4 days or so that the couple changes I made with shifting weight around seemed to work. Nevertheless, this is the last major city for a while as I head south towards The Jura and The Alps so I want to ensure that I won have too many issues. I'm gonna try again today at a bunch of bike shops and see if I can come up with something. Hopefully head out tomorrow or Sunday down the Alsatian wine route.