Èpernay

From Strasbourg to Reims I took a car share, and then a train to Èpernay, the champagne capital of the world. I was still in shock from the election results and was a little out of it. I had to try hard to not cry at various points. I talked a little bit about the election with my fellow carpoolers, but it was more humorous than sad to them. There was a news update at the rest stop, but since it was in French, I didn't quite get their side of it. But seeing the President-elect's face was enough to put a look of distaste on my face, and a feeling of being sick in my stomach.

On the train from Reims to Èpernay, there was some excitement to distract me though. I'm pretty sure some kid got busted with drugs. The police and their dogs went through the train sniffing away, and stopped a few rows from me. Turns out the teenager had something on him, since it warranted more police officers. After a few stops, they got off the train. I presume that is where the kid lived, and they got off to deal with him. 

After a short ride, I arrived in Èpernay, where my Airbnb host picked me from the train station. Since it was raining, I was grateful for the ride. She gave me a quick tour of town, which included L'Avenue de Champagne. I was excited to try some champagne in the coming days. We arrived at her home and she got me settled in her daughter's room, who lives in Paris. We had some tea, she made me an appointment at Möet & Chandon for the next morning, and I got some groceries for the next few days.

Avenue de Champagne.

My host, Marie Helene, invited me to go dancing with her that evening. I was feeling pretty down and wanted to drink champagne to drown my sorrows, but I decided to tag along. I figured it could make me feel a bit a little bit better. I don't know if it really helped, but it got me out at the very least. We drove back towards Reims and made our way to a bowling alley, where I learned that we were at a salsa class. I didn't realize it was a class. I don't know any salsa. I can barely understand French. And there was an odd person out. But I went along with it. I probably  made a complete fool of myself and probably was concentrating too hard, but I went out and tried. The teachers and all my partners were all very patient with me. Of course when it was apparent I was American, the election came up. But fortunately I wasn't paired off for too long, so all conversations were kept short. I danced a little, and I think I felt a little better after. I was getting tired though. Eventually it was time to get some sleep. I needed some rest for the champagne houses the next day.

Salsa lesson.

The next morning I headed out for a run to make myself feel better. I was doing everything I could to get past the election results. You would think the trifecta of traveling, running, and drinking would cure me of my woes. It did not, but the views of the vineyards did help a little. They were very beautiful, and I wish I had time to run longer.  

Running in the vineyards.

Soon I was off to the next step in feeling better. I walked to Möet & Chandon for my appointment. At first they couldn't find my name, but it was probably put in incorrectly. Even if they couldn't find it, I was going to get a tour. So that was good. Since it was an English tour, there was only 2 of us at the beginning. Once we found out we were both from the USA, we asked each other how we were feeling. And it was mutual. As we got a tour of the champagne house, we got to vent to each other. Neither one of us really had anyone to talk to about the results. Until now. 

Just stay calm.

Dom Perignon.

After watching an intro video, a group of friends joined us. Our group got a bit larger, but the two of us stuck together. We headed down to the cellar to learn the process of making champagne. I hadn't realized (and I feel like I should've know this, but didn't) that champagne is made from pinot noir grapes, a red grape. Pinot meunier and chardonnay are also used to make champagne. To make it sparkling wine instead of regular wine, a secondary fermentation needs to take place. And voilà, bubbles are made. 

The Cellar.

Bottles biding their time.

After the tour concluded, and after I upgraded my ticket, we enjoyed our champagne. I had a glass of  the Imperial and Rose Imperial. Both were quite tasty. I'm definitely a fan of champagne. So it was great to taste the real stuff. 

Time to drink.

After our tour, my new friend, Lauren, and I grabbed some lunch, and more champagne of course. Champagne is definitely cheaper in Champagne. My new friend was headed out of town, so I was back on my own later that afternoon. She made some recommendations of other places to visit, and I just spent the rest of the day hopping around to various champagne houses.

First up was Champagne Janisson Baradon. The woman who worked there was very friendly and offered me a ton of different tastes from their vineyard. She gave me a discount, which was also very nice. 

So much champagne.

Up next was a spot down the avenue a little ways, Champagne A. Bergere. I just relaxed, tried a few different champagnes, and talked to a few different customers. There was one who supported the election outcome. He wasn't even American. That conversation was short. However I was able to have a reasonable conversation with a couple from Sweden. 

After a few different tastes, I headed to the final stop on my champagne tour, Lafine Bulle. I was able to pick and choose a variety of tastes from the region. The woman working there was nice, even though some people were hassling her. I did meet an American couple. They were pretty nice, but we didn't get into the election conversation. A part of me wondered if they were happy with the outcome. But who knows. I wasn't ready to speak to anyone who supported the results, so I treaded lightly. 

Last stop on my champagne tour.

After I finished my tastes, I grabbed a bottle of champagne to go and headed back to my Airbnb to eat, do laundry, and drink my new purchase. After all the bubbly and lack of sleep, I was ready to pass out. But first I had to cry a little while I watched Hillary Clinton's thank you speech. I intended to get as much as sleep as I could that night since I hadn't slept much in the previous few days.

The next morning, before heading into town to catch my train, I took a short walk up the hill to get my last view of the French vineyards. I grabbed my bags and ran a few errands in town before catching my train. Except it was a French holiday. The train I planned on was on a holiday schedule and wasn't running. Well I turned grapes into champagne, and had a glass. I did have to run around to find wifi in order to get in contact with my car share, but fortunately he was understanding and would wait for me in Reims.

Goodbye France.

So I enjoyed my last glass of champagne in Champagne before heading off to Luxembourg.

Strasbourg

After a short train ride, I was in Strasbourg, one of the cities that was at the top of my list when I started my trip. I finally made it. I walked to the hostel along the canal and tried to check in. It was a little early, so I couldn't do that yet, so I left my bags, and headed to the Grande Île to explore the area around the cathedral. Just like with Colmar, there is a heavy German influence throughout the city. 

Strasbourg Cathedral.

It was November 6th, not the 24th. But I know what was planned for Thanksgiving (and my birthday).

A working, astrological clock.

Soon it was time to stream the NYC marathon. I was sad to be missing this race again, but good thing for technology. I headed to a nearby cafe and planted myself there for a few hours to get updates on my sisters, my friends, and the elites. Everyone did pretty well, and I was excited for Molly Huddle, who made her marathon debut and got 3rd place. Due to the time difference, I went to find dinner and relax for the evening, as opposed to all the runners and spectators who were all now celebrating. 

Watching the NYC Marathon. 

The next morning I headed out to explore more of the city. The weather was much nicer than it had been, so I took advantage of walking further to explore Petite France. There were some really great viewpoints of the city and canals all over the area.

Canal side buldings.

View from Passage Georges Frankhauser.

Spectacular views.

After a while, my camera battery was running low, and I had to eat something. I'm usually good about making sure my battery is charged up before a day of exploring, but not that day. So I headed back to the hostel with a pit stop for a crepe on my way.

Yummy crepes.

Since the day was still nice, I wanted to make sure I went up the cathedral, and had enough battery life to take photos. Once I had enough power, I headed back to the cathedral, paid for my ticket, and climbed the 332 steps to the top. The views were pretty impressive. And the lighting on the cathedral with the setting sun was even more so. 

Strasbourg down below.

Église Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune.

Climbing back down.

After the sun went down, and a little bit of shopping, I headed back to the hostel. My next plan was to try to find a place to watch the upcoming election. I had been checking to see if my ballot had arrived, but with no luck. I was confident in New York's outcome, but it's always nice to know that my vote counted. I checked the status again the next morning, and my ballot arrived. Just in time, as it was Election Day. 

After seeing that my ballot arrived, I went for a cold and snowy (nothing stuck) run to check out the European Parliament and Parc de l'Orangerie.

Parc de l'Orangerie.

European Parliament.

After my run, I warmed up and then walked around the city some more but it was a bit rainy. I found a cute place to enjoy some tea for a while. I then revisited a few spots from the day before, but in different lighting. I wanted to see the city all lit up, but the upper level of the passage was closed for the evening. 

Passage Georges Frankhauser.

Cathedral at night.

After the sun went down, it got colder and I decided I needed to warm up again, but with some wine this time. I relaxed for a bit at a cafe, went to a creperie for dinner, and then headed back to the hostel to stream the election results. The hostel was trying to get it on their big screen for me, but nothing was working. Instead I just streamed from my tablet, when it was working of course. Because of the time difference, I really didn't see too much. At that point, it was all just speculation. I stayed up until around 2am CET (8pm EST) but not before the internet quit on me for good. I guess it was a sign to go to bed.

The next morning, I woke up pretty early. I was tired and wanted to stay in bed, but since I couldn't get internet in my room, I had to make my way downstairs in order to confirm my hopes. Once I was connected, things started going downhill. Texts were coming in from my sisters and friends, and they were not good. I got connected and saw how terrible things had gone in the 4.5 hours I slept. I could not believe that Hillary Clinton was losing to this sexist, racist bully. I had to hold myself together to not cry. Once Clinton conceded, I took a shower and packed my things. I couldn't believe it. I was devastated. Most people wouldn't even know until later in the day since people had gone to bed on the East Coast. I was sad for them, for me, and for my country. I was definitely in a state of shock for the remainder of the day.

But I had to keep moving, so I met my car share later that morning, and made my way to Èpernay to drown my sorrows in champagne.

Colmar

After getting my fill of Burgundy wine, I took the train to Colmar. Which was probably one of my favorite towns on my trip. It was so cute and picturesque. I checked into my low-budget hotel and went looking for La Petit Venise. Colmar was a great town to photograph with all the pretty buildings and canals. I could definitely tell that I was close to Germany, given the influence on the architecture. And the food. I had to get a pretzel. A chocolate covered pretzel. 

A French pretzel.

I spent some time walking around the Old Town, Quai de la Poissonerie, and La Petite Venise. After getting my fill, ok, after it got dark and I couldn't take any more pictures, I grabbed a drink and read for a bit.

Saint Martin Church.

Colmar buildings.

A lovely building.

La Petite Venise.

The next day was a bit rainy, but I didn't really have a plan. Since I had already seen most of the town, I figured some time at a cute cafe would be a good way to spend my time. I enjoyed some hot tea, read, and people-watched. 

A rainy afternoon.

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and enjoying some local food and drink. I wanted to find a cute wine bar to hang out for a while, but had little luck. So instead of trying something new, I returned to the cafe I was at earlier in the day. I made some new friends while I sat there and drank my wine. There were a few older gentlemen that I think were locals. We chatted in broken English and French for a bit before they headed out. They were soon replaced by a French couple who were visiting. I had to work on my French a bit, but they were really nice and friendly. When they left, I think they conveyed that they paid for my wine. I wasn't positive, so I tried to pay when I ended up leaving. And I didn't have to. That was really great of them. It's always fantastic to meet people who go out of their way to be generous.

More canals.

More hearts. 

Colmar at night.

On my last morning in Colmar, I went for a run to the State of Liberty in honor of those running the NYC Marathon later that day, including my sisters. The run wasn't one of my favorites since it was along a main road, but I got a little bit of home during it, so I was happy. When I arrived back in town, I came upon a race. I was a little bummed that I didn't know about it. I should have googled to see if there was a race since I had been looking previously. I cheered a little bit, and then returned to the hotel to shower and pack my bags.

Lady Liberty.

After checking out, I had a little bit more time before my train to Strasbourg, so hung around town for a little bit and cheered on the runners some more. I was definitely experiencing some FOMO. I saw someone wearing a NYC marathon shirt from 2008, one of the years that I ran. So that was exciting. I walked a little bit more around town, but eventually made a move back to my hotel to grab my bags and head to the train station. 

Race finish line.

Posing in doorways.

Off to Strasbourg.