Strasbourg: Where Spray Paint Meets Siberian Air
okay so i rolled into strasbourg with a backpack full of cans and a cold that won’t quit. turns out my aerosol skills are useless when your fingers are icicles. *la petite france looked like a postcard if you enjoy frostbite on your knuckles. i just checked the weather and it’s literally arctic breath out there, so bring thermal socks unless you fancy frostbiting your toes off.
the locals here are... intense. met this grumpy baker at a bakery called ‘le pain qui rit’ (the laughing bread) who warned me that cops patrol the riverbanks at 4am for taggers. someone told me that l’île de france has the best legal spots, but i heard that’s just a rumor spread by some guy named jean-michel who smells like glue.
if you run out of inspiration, colmar is a quick hop away by train. heard there’s a wall there that’s basically a permission paradise. but i swear i overheard a local saying they’re cracking down on foreigners doing murals-something about ‘preserving the aesthetic’. whatever that means.
‘if your spray can freezes, just stick it under a drunk guy’s armpit. works every time.’ - guy at le blue bar, probably drunk
tried painting near la cathédrale de strasbourg but got chased off by a security guard with a flashlight and what looked like pepper spray. pro tip: bring a thermos of hot wine next time. les vins de alsace are the only thing keeping my soul from freezing solid. check out this guide for hidden gems if you’re into that sort of thing.
heard some gossip about a secret tunnel* under the old quarter where artists have been painting for decades. also found this spot with the best glühwein in town. just don’t ask about the ‘special ingredient’.
‘never trust a baker who says ‘oh this paint won’t stain’. he lied.’ - lady with neon pink hair at marché de noël
anyway, that’s my frozen war stories from strasbourg. more here if you’re into that. peace out, and layer up.
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