Ok all. This is it. Strasbourg, France is the city I am leaving you all for. I am so amazed at how beautiful this city is. Clean streets, old world exposed wood beam architecture, new century glass and steel modern living, old and young enjoying each others company whether by a café or at the park. It's a lifestyle that is neither seemed hurried or pretentious. It just is.

My trip to Strasbourg was a fluk. I have one day to take a day hike before I return that evening…I have a dental in Basel at 2pm on Monday to repair a chipped tooth. I arrived in Strasbourg at about 1:30pm. Right away I knew that there was something special here. It had a sense of slowness, a relaxed feeling about it (like a warm bubble bath). The streets werent filled with people especially tourists (like a swarm of locust). I guessed because it was Sunday everyone is at church or lounging a home.

The tourist center was closed until 2:45 and I didn't want to wait to get a map. So I proceeded on unconcern whether or not I know where Im going. I believe that as long as my feet was pointing one way that's where Im headed. As I head towards the center of town I notice peeping above the rooftops was the stepple of the main gothic church of Strasbourg. So I follow the direction. Thru tiny streets I go. Shops line the sidewalk displaying their goods. Local folk going about their day without a care.

I turned right and the church revealed itself to me. I was stunned and amazed by the shear size of this gothic wonder. Soaring high into the sky my neck strained to capture its fullness. The buildings surrounding it led to its authenticity. You will see no modern architecture nearby. Town folk and tourists eat in outdoor cafes at its footsteps. Cameras click. Children played. Everyone seemed at peace. Their was no hustle here. No Pradas, no Hermes, no Armani. Just small shops with small goods.

I found a tourist center and bought a map. Walked in free into the church and was spellbound with its size. It was grand. I took lots of photos for you all. Although my camera can not capture what my eyes can see it will give you a glimpse of it.

I took a river boat cruise and tour around the city. Like Venice it is surrounded with water. The modern building you see in my photos is the headquarters of the Council of Europe. Since 1979 it has been the seat of the 15-member European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights since 1994.

I strolled the streets lined with countless restaurants with outside seating. I believed that the locals do no thing relax and eat. They love to eat, sit and relax. They enjoy sipping on their caffees and espressos, liking their ice creams, strolling hand and hand with their significant other. The parks was another favorite. Lying in the grass, sleeping, reading, eating, children playing soccer. The whole experience was so foreign to me. Eat, sit and relax, man how do they do it? I mean I'm racing from one end of the city to the other trying to capture as much of it as I can before my 7:30 train departs for Basel. I guess I need to relax. Im walking faster than some people are biking. Funny.. my life.

I truly love it here. If there is one city in Europe other than Paris that I would live in it is here.