Joseph Kornmeyer was born December 7 1840 (182 years ago) in the Grand Duchy (Großherzoglich Badisches) of Baden. When he was nine his life was uprooted and what had to have been an arduous journey for the family (seven children and one or two adults) began. I do not presume to know the path they followed but had hope to experience the awe of iconic places they may have passed thru on their sojourn to America.
I wonder, was Joseph able to relate eighteen years later when Josephine, his wife, spoke of Alsace and her families home prior to their immigration?
For this modern day traveler things were much more comfortable. We had enjoyed the Lake Constance farming area that was all his father Martin had ever known. We had seen the house the family may have called home and visited the church that was probably the center of much of their social life. We had the luxury of transportation that comfortably conveyed our group of six with our luggage, for only two weeks not a lifetime. We met a luxurious long boat for our sojourn down the Rhine River to a port city in the Netherlands. We were all capable adults on an adventure. They were mostly children who had no say in what was happening, and whose father was probably tired even before the journey began from all the preparations. The family audit in Bohringen had been over 31 pages. Every item they sold, every Guilder they owed had been thoroughly accounted for. 

Day five, the actual first day of our river cruise had been the visit to the Black Forest and the Alsace city of Colmar. (See my previous blog.) The boat usually left port around dinner time or later, so much of the travel between stops occurred while we slept.

This day we awoke to the expectations of the iconic tour of Strasbourg. It did not fail. Our dock was actually in Kehl. With a long walk to the bus then a 40 minute bus ride to Strasbourg we were happy to spend time walking through the city. Having spent time in french speaking Belgium almost 50 years earlier I was more comfortable here with the language. The city is beautiful. A noted resident of the city was Gutenberg best known as the inventor of the printing press. His statue can be found gracing the town square. Strasbourg’s Notre Dame Gothic cathedral is even more beautiful then the more famous Norte Dome of Paris.

The astronomical clock in the cathedral was quite the tourist attraction. Even with covid this city’s squares were filled with tourist enjoying the lovely September day. Move out a bit and it was easy to enjoy the walking areas on your own.

Strasbourg seems to be all about the food. But look at the architecture!

Back on board in the afternoon and relaxing on the upper deck, then a cooking demo in the lounge .

Next we cruise onto Speyer. If you like our photos please click on our like button below or leave a comment.