Second verse, same as the first...

...a little bit louder and a whole lot worse.

- We spend most of the day in transit to day.  While we walked north from our hotel to the train station we'd looked on up the internet, we saw a tractor drive down the street, which seemed odd.  Lea's from a tiny country town in Michigan and she really felt at home.

- It took us an hour to get to the train station, and neither of us was in very good spirits by the time we got there.  We hadn't eaten yet, our feet and backs ached heavily, and it was a rather hot day.  We got to the station and found out that all of the trains leaving from that station to Strasbourg were copletely booked in second class.  So we bought an expensive ticket that left out of a different station, and then went to a cash machine afterwards to nurse our wounds.

I was so upset.  Looking back on it now, I'm very disappointed at my upsetedness--I was thinking how it was Lea's fault we had to pay so much for a ticket, when it was just as much mine as hers, if it was anyone's.  I had told her that we didn't need to book anything beforehand, and that I was excited to figure stuff out as we went.  After we bought that ticket, it took me far too long to calm myself down and remember that spending money isn't going to kill me, and that I could make it up to myself by being frugal later and by getting jobs over the summer and fall.  Hard work and money can go hand in hand for me, thanks to my privileges.  I need to stop feeling like I'm worse off than I actually am.  My father's hard work paid for this trip, and my hard work will repay him one day, even if it takes years.

- After getting cash, we stumbled upon a little baguette place with a fantastic meal deal (sandwich, can of soda, and pain chocolat for 4.90 euros) and I ordered it by myself!  With success this time!  No fumbling, no nervous laughter, and even some French words coming out of my mouth!  This boosted my morale (as did eating) and almost made me forget the train ticket.

- We walked to the train station adn then sat there for three hours, too tired and sore to want to do anything.  We read our books, were asked several times for money, and once for spare batteries...or at least I think that's what he wanted.

- We then went to Strasbourg.  It was about a two-hour train ride, and about a fifteen-minute walk to the hotel.  After we'd unloaded our considerable burdens (my rucksack was 22 lbs...) we wandered around town, taking in the place and looking for something to eat.  Unfortunately, everything seems to close really early at night on this side of the Atlantic, so we settled on a supermarket and bought apples, pretzels, gummy worms, and drinks.  One of the employees came around and told us (in French) that they were closing, and I thought he was asking for money, like so many people had in Paris, but he explained himself in English, and it all worked out.  We went back to our hotel and watched an episode of Merlin before retiring.

Strasbourg is a beautiful little city, and we're exploring it tomorrow, so expect lots of glowing praises tomorrow!

<3 spadeALLcross