Land of Fairytales

Recently I took a new job in Boston working for a river cruise company, Scenic and Emerald Waterways, and I got to go on a trip of a lifetime with them. My co-worker and I got to experience one of the cruises going up the Rhine, traveling through Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. It was stunning. I learned so much, and of course, took way too many photos.

East of France there's a little town called Strasbourg, and it's stunning. With little canals going through gingerbread-like houses, this is the first place they say a Christmas Tree lit up. I wandered around this little town like I was Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

Fun feminist history fact here: Johannes Gutenberg, the man that first printed the Bible, lived here for a good chunk of his life. He once told a woman he'd marry her, just to sleep with. Once he got what he wanted, he bolted. Sullying her name, she said aloud to herself: "Not today Fuckboi" — ok she didn't actually say that, but she definitely put her foot down. She took Gutenberg to court in 1436 for being a liar and a cherry-poppin-thief, and SHE WON! Her name was Ennelin, and she's my 15th-century feminist hero. They really should have a statue of her as well as Gutenberg (pictured below). Now, let me just pass out a few subpoenas of my own and see how this goes.  

The town is extremely picturesque, and due to that, high in volume with tourists. I was there for a good chunk of the day, and it seemed like in the morning the streets were packed with tourists, but as soon as lunchtime hit, everyone flooded out (or maybe it was because I was just with a large group). What was interesting with this town was that there were little modern shops dispersed throughout the old architecture. You'd walk past a chocolatier and then see a boutique H+M. It was a perfect little balance of old and new. 

Also, my hair has faded some; really sucks going to Europe thinking you'd be this silver-haired angelic creature, but you first feel like a smurf and then just dull. Yes, I may have had a moment in Switzerland or France and broke down crying like I was on America's Next Top Model or something. Lately, I've been really down on myself, and my hair not being exactly like how I wanted, broke me. Probably the only girl surrounded by such beautiful sights and an experience of a lifetime, crying about her hair.