Strasbourg didn’t start out very welcoming: I arrived in a downpour, very early in the morning, and far from the city centre I’d come to explore. I was forced to trudge into the town, trying to keep my footing on slick cobblestoned paths while the rain soaked into my pack, making a heavy burden even heavier. The tourist office was closed, so I rested my sore shoulders and torqued ankles in the doorway, and watched the tourists gather in front of the medieval cathedral, just as they’d done for a thousand years. Then the bells started ringing…
