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THE best of both France and Germany nestles alongside in the quaint border town of Strasbourg, the capital of the Alsace region in eastern France and the second largest port city on the Rhine. Historically, the region is German speaking, hence the name. Definitely among the top 10 cities of France, located on the banks of the Ill River flowing into the Rhine, it lies in the upper Rhine Plain east of the Vosges Mountains and west of the Black Forest making it an ideal spot to visit for the city itself and the larger region in either country. Disputed throughout history, sometimes violently so, it’s Franco-German culture has bridged the divide for centuries; setting up the University of Strasbourg, the largest in France; peaceful Catholic and Protestant coexistence; and more recently inaugurated in 2012, the Strasbourg Grand Mosque, the largest in France. Strasbourg’s historic city centre, the Grand Ile or Grand Island where most of its famous buildings are located, was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1988, a first for an entire island. Petit France is the part of the island showcasing their famed medieval half timber houses and picturesque canals, ideal to walk around to absorb and relive a bit of history as for its French cuisine; or take a boat tour for the perfect photo opportunities, capture the medieval bridge, the four-towered Ponts Couverts. The most striking monument, “a prodigy of the gigantic and of the delicate” in Victor Hugo’s words, is the red sandstone asymmetrical façade Cathedral of Notre-Dame with one tower (the city ran out of money to build a second tower) and a 30-metre-high astronomical clock. The working clock strikes every hour, a cherub rings every quarter; the most magnificent show, however, is at half past noon as the rooster crows and the apostles file past Christ, bowing. Remember to be inside the cathedral an hour in advance to catch a view of the magnificent seven-level clock that tells the current time, solar time, day, week, month and year, the moon phase, zodiac signs and planetary positions. The cathedral beat the Great Pyramid of Giza to become the world’s tallest building in 1439. Some of the cathedral’s sculptures are exhibited in the Maison de l’Oeuvre Notre-Dame. Chateau des Rohan houses three museums — the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Archaeological Museum. This site was the home of the archbishop for five centuries before the palace was constructed in the eighteenth century. Its residents have included Marie Antoinette of “give them cake if there is no bread” fame, Louis XV, Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte. Your tired body, exhausted with viewing beautiful objects in the museums, will need a wine and meal to rejuvenate. That’s when you head to Maison Kammmerzall owned by a series of rich merchants over the years. In 1904, Leo Schnug, a 27-year-old artist, was commissioned to do the interiors of this five-storey black and white timber home. Stained glass windows and paintings on wood; the restaurant alcoves are covered in beautiful allegorical frescoes, sites of Strasbourg, dice players, a list of previous owners of the house and curiously, even the cat that featured in the artist’s hallucinations. Located adjacent to the cathedral, it serves as a vantage point for another angle of the monument as you dig heartily into a delectably cooked Alsatian meal. Chocolate lovers rejoice! The Museum of Chocolate Secrets traces the journey of the humble cocoa bean from the Aztecs to its arrival in the Spanish court. Strasbourg has many firsts to its credit as an important centre of manufacturing and engineering. Johannes Gutenberg invented the first European moveable type printing press here around 1440. The first newspaper was published in 1605. Food processing, tanning, metalwork, brewing, electronic, plastic and pharmaceutical units jostle for economic space. Strasbourg boasts an automobile assembly plant. The city’s darkest history, set in the fourteenth century, brought in the bubonic plague and genocide where hundreds of Jews were burnt forcing them to be driven out. For the next three hundred years Jews had to leave the city by 10 pm each night. The Jewish Quarter is a must visit if this historical fact interests you. The dancing plague reportedly killed four hundred people. The afflicted would dance constantly for weeks causing many to die of exhaustion, heart failure or stroke. Pricey boutiques abound; for a bargain head to the Rue des Grandes Arcades. Select a souvenir from locally made pottery, table cloths and linen in the traditional blue and red cheques and stripes; or pick a crisp Alsatian white wine, Muenster cheese and pate de foie gras as a memento. Quick facts Getting there: Direct flights from Delhi/Mumbai to Paris/Frankfurt and a 2-4 hour train ride/drive further. Getting around: On foot since the city centre is free from vehicular traffic, a 14-euro, 3-day pass includes a guided walking tour, bicycle hire, boat trip, and free/discounted entry to select museums. A tourist minitram does a 40-minute loop through the historic centre from mid March to early November; Boat cruises starting 9.30am, every half hour all year from the pier at the Palais Rohan. Things to do: A tour of the European Parliament (book a couple of months in advance via website), Zoological Museum, Gutenberg Square, Egyptian House, Botanical Garden with a two storey greenhouse, St Thomas Church, son et lumiere, Musee Alsacein folk museum, Christmas market Best season: May to September, temperatures ranging 15 to 30°C.
Leap of faith ever thought of letting go with the wind, aiming into the calm waters deep below and the feeling that comes with it? Any adventure sport enthusiast can identify with this sensation. The good news is that it is available in India now. Experts from New Zealand, the country that specialises in bungee jumping, have brought it to Jumpin Heights, an extreme adventure sports zone, at Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. It is an initiative by two former army person Col Manoj Kumar and Capt Rahul Nigam. The place offers you three exciting activities — India’s first fixed platform bungee, Asia’s longest flying fox and giant swing. The place has been functional for about four years now. Mark Barker (from New Zealand) and Martina (from Switzerland), have been associated with the project since its inception. They are the jump masters at the bungee. The activities are exhilarating. Flying fox could be the rather easy start. Tied to full body harness, you can literally fly in the sky, arms locked with two companions or alone if you chose to be. The equipment and the drill makes you feel safe enough, yet there is trepidation the moment the gate is opened. You can literally fly from one hill to another, over a tributary of Ganga. The first few seconds are ecstatic, you can scream to your heart’s content before you take in the landscape. Enjoy the feeling of being suspended up in the air before you are pulled back among cheering crowd of friends and strangers alike. Bungee is tougher. “It is an extreme sport, but there is no danger as such. It’s your mind that you need to conquer,” says Mark. An instructional video prepares you for what you are in for. As you walk down the fixed yellow platform, a staff member briefs you on what to expect and do. Tied in two harnesses, you take slow steps towards the edge. The jumpmaster Mark is a man of few words, but he is quite a sport as one is about to take that first leap of faith! First few seconds are nerve wrecking, but you gather steam soon after. The view from the sky is exhilarating, the rocky cliff below, some greenery, water and pebbles down and the euphoric feeling of having done it. A tug or two, gives you more to play before catching on to the log offered you are brought down to the ground. A bottle of water (you need that to trek all the way up) and a badge that says “I’ve got GUTS!!” is the reward. Soak your feet in water, wait for your friends to take their jump, and climb up to the cafeteria to see yourself being played on the screen. You can go for giant swing next to get some more adrenaline rush. “We have taken as many precautions as is humanly possible,” says Colonel Kumar. Apart from the once-in-lifetime experience, you get instantly promoted to the super-cool league among your friends the moment you upload your video on social networking sites. And, like it or not once you have bought the tickets, whether you bungee or chicken out, money is non-refundable. Makes sense for otherwise there would be long queue of aspirants who never make it, making it tough for the ones who dare to take that leap of faith! Factfile Where:
Mohan Chatti village, 15 km from Lakshman Jhula Rishikesh, Uttarakhand Cost: Entry ticket Rs 100 per person Bungee Rs 2,500 per person; Giant swing Rs 2,500 per person. For more information check www.jumpinheights.com
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Strasbourg has the distinction of having the European Parliament here since 1952 as also the European Court of Human Rights since 1949, the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines, National School of Administration for civil service and international cooperation, the Central Commission for Navigation in the Rhine since 1920. 
