Runnin' through the Bonn with my woes

Bonn Marathon and France Pt. 1

So somehow I finished my leg in the Bonn Marathon relay… I didn’t train for it, but I know now that I definitely should have. I was able to run the first half of the race with relatively no trouble, but then there was a second half. It was shortly after the halfway point that the fatigue set in. My muscles were not physically ready for that much activity. So I alternated running and walking until I handed the timer off to the next runner. Running may feel horrible if you’re out of shape like I was, but there is nothing more satisfying than finishing a tough workout. I was the third leg in the relay, so after I ran my team waited for the fourth runner by the T-Mobile store. Once he passed the store, we joined him in running through to the finish line. That was also a great experience! The music and energy from the bystanders turned the run into a fun and exciting event rather than just another workout. All the finishers got medals too, which will be a nice souvenir to remember the race.

After the marathon, I had packing for Paris and Dublin to look forward to. For this week-long journey, I had to fit everything in a weekend bag and a backpack…partly because we were told by AIB to pack light and partly because we didn’t feel like paying to check any bags to and from Dublin.

Anyways, Monday morning we began our excursion to France by bus. Our first stop was in Colmar. Colmar is a beautiful town in the Alsace region of France. While there, we took a guided tour of the town and its museum. The museum houses the Colmar-Isenheim Altar, painted for a church that specialized in hospital work. It was a beautifully detailed work of art. After a few more hours on the bus, we made it to Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy. Upon arrival, we had a group dinner where we tried region-famous boeuf bourguignon. The meal was a three course meal, but our table wasn’t aware… We thought the first course was all we were getting to eat, and we were a little disheartened. It’s safe to say we were pleasantly surprised to learn that we were getting two more courses! The wine was fantastic too. Overall, it was a delicious first meal in France.

The next day, we took a tour of Hotel Dieu, a former hospital for the poor. The façade and courtyards were really pretty. The inside was interesting too. We got to see where the patients lived, where their medications were made, and where their food was prepared. After this tour, we continued our journey to one of my favorite cities…Paris!