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.