Strasbourg’s disorganised Summer festival
The Summer festival of 2004 coincided with the first visit we made to our now chosen home of Strasbourg. Then, when the town was ruled by Mayor Fabienne Keller, the festival was the low-key 'L'Ill aux Lumières' based around the stretch of river running from Palais Rohan to Petite France. Every night from 10pm-midnight they closed the road from Quai de Bateliers to Quai Finkwiller to enable the public and tourists to enjoy the various spectacles without the annoyance and noise of perpetual traffic. Promenading from Palais Rohan to Pont St Thomas, either along the road or tow-path you were treated to a variety of attractions from innovative water-based art to live shows performed on barges or along the Quais. Dance or comedy would mix with arts based upon a theme that changed each year. In 2006 organisers excelled themselves by creating a giant living gargoyle that vomited water into the river every ten minutes or so. (pictured) The result was a two hour delight for locals and tourists alike, who gravitated to this stretch of river not just [...]