Traveling back home

Sunday was our final traveling day and I was excited to be heading home but also I was a little sad to be leaving. I’ve been to a lot of different places in the US but this was my first time out the country and it was amazing. I had so much fun, saw many great things, and met some great people. But after a long 3 weeks, I couldn’t wait to get home. Our flights back were the same as our flights coming but this time we had very short layovers. We had to run through the Chicago airport just to get to the bus to take us across the terminal on time. Even though I disliked the long flights, this trip was an amazing experience and I’m grateful I got the chance to go. There was a lot of walking involved and my feet hated walking on those cobblestones, so for anybody deciding to sign up for this program next year please bring comfy shoes and don’t buy new shoes like I did or you’ll end up with blisters trying to break them in in Europe. Also, pack extremely light. If you feel like you didn’t pack that much stuff and you need everything that’s in your suitcase, take some stuff out and repack it lol. Trust me you don’t need all those extra outfits or you’ll end up bringing back a lot of unworn clothes and you need space for any new stuff you buy. I will say this though, if you can fit them, I recommend bringing a towel and wash cloths with you if you have space so you don’t have to buy one when you get there. It feels great to finally be home and back to my normal life but these last three weeks were an experience I’ll never forget.

Last day in Paris

Saturday was our last full day in Paris. Me and a few other people decided to go to the palace of Versailles. Versailles was about a hour away so we left out at 7:30. We took two trains to get there and we made it there a little before 8:30 but the palace didn’t open until 9 so we went to Starbucks first. I ordered this cookies and cream Frappuccino and it was good but I didn’t realize until after I started drinking it that it didn’t have any coffee in it, which was disappointing because I spent over 5 euros for it. A little after 9 we walked over to Versailles and the line was extremely long, we didn’t get in until 10:30. The palace was way bigger than i expected, I knew it would be big but I was still blown away. There were so many people out group kept getting split up and by the time we made it to the gardens, there were only 4 of us together.

The palace was beautiful but my favorite part was definitely the gardens. All the fountains and the flowers were amazing. The gardens were so big people were renting golf carts to ride through and we decided not to get one but we definitely regretted it afterwards. In total, we spent about 5 hours at Versailles, we could’ve stayed longer but I was tired and some of the other people in the group wanted to shop before the day was over. We stopped at this restaurant before getting on the train but i didn’t eat anything, nothing on the menu sounded appetizing to me. Once we got back to where we were staying, I went to this Italian restaurant right across the street and had pizza. That was the best pizza I ever ate and I was sad I didn’t discover it until our last day.

Arc de Triomphe

Dr. V and Dr. J from Econ assigned us one last group assignment to do for Paris. We had to select a museum or venue, go visit, and do a write up about it, our write up was marketing focused of course. We decided to visit the Arc de Triomphe or the Arch of Triumph. The Arc de Triomphe honors soldiers who fought and died in French revolutionary war and the Napoleonic War. The tower has 284 stairs which you can climb to get to the top where they have a gift shop and historical facts. I was not excited about the idea of climbing up all these stairs after the Eiffel Tower visit on Thursday but oh well, the arc does not have an elevator. The stairs in the arc were much worse though because it was a winding stairwell and it was very narrow and closed in. The view from the top was amazing though and worth the climb.

After the visit, out group split ways. Abby and I decided to go do some shopping in the city. We walked down the street from the arc on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, to look at a few shops. There are so many stores and people on this street. After that we rode the metro to the mall, Châtelet–Les Halles. This mall was huge with a variety of stores and it was somewhat confusing to get through. We didn’t walk through the whole thing but I was able to find some cute stuff at this store that was having an amazing sale.

Climbing the Eiffel Tower

Thursday was a slow day in the beginning. Originally we planned on going to do some shopping but we weren’t able to. Thursday night we went on two group excursions. The first was a canal tour through Paris. The boat tours were one of my favorite activities in each city. The tour started and ended at the Eiffel Tower. We saw the Louvre, a few museums, and rode through some beautiful bridges. This boat was probably my favorite because it was large and we were able to sit on the top where it was open and take some great pictures. After the boat tour, we went to visit the Eiffel Tower but this was no regular visit. This time we went inside. The original plan was to walk up 700 stairs to the second floor but I did not make it that far. I walked up the 350 to the first floor and that was enough for me. I’m not a big fan of heights or climbing stairs. The view was beautiful though so I guess I can say it was worth it. The first floor has a restaurant, a gift shop, and some room where people could have events. We walked up there at the perfect time to be able to watch the sunset. And I came back down at the perfect time as well. I was able to see it from the outside when it started to sparkle.

Paris Day 6

Today is the last day in Paris. we decided to spend the last day shopping. We went to Beaugrenelle shopping mall, which was very nice inside. What I didn't enjoy was the security guards following me around every store like I was going to kill something. The made the whole shopping trip uncomfortable. We spent a couple of hours at the mall and then decided to get food. We found a Chipotle! I was so excited to have a taste of back home. After the mall, we went to get more souvenirs by Notre Dame. We went to the grocery store one finally time and then spent to rest of the day packing and preparing to go home. 

So long Paris!

Paris Day 5

Today we woke up very early to go to the Arc de Triomphe with the Econ class. We got over to the area and decided to get food before walking up 280 steps. I had got a burger that was okay. It came with bacon and the picture showed regular bacon, but they put Canadian bacon on it. Going up the 280 steps actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The view at the top was well worth it.  I watched a video playing on now of the floors inside the arc and I learned the process of building it. Today the Louvre was free and we planned to go, but it was so many people so we decided to pass. Hopefully, I get to go next time I visit Paris.

Paris Day 4

Today started very slow. I woke up and finished washing clothes and started to pack my suitcase. I was very much ready to go home at this point. We went on the river cruise today which was very nice, but before getting on too many people kept asking us to buy stuff. the river cruise showed us around Paris and gave good history facts. Our tour guide/ boat driver was really funny, yet informative. By the time he dropped us back off it was almost time for the Eiffel Tower to light up. I decided not to walk up and just stay and enjoy the scene from outside it. We got ice cream that was really and then found a seat for the show. For some reason I think the Eiffel Tower was going to be more grand, but it wasn't all that cute before it lit up. The show started and lasted for five minutes. Just long enough for me to take pictures. After the show, we found a place that sold really big hot dogs and kabobs. It was probably the best food I had on the trip.

Day 18

Today we went on another group excursion with the Econ class to Arc de Triomphe. When we got off the train we got some lunch at this sandwich cafe. I got a chicken sandwich and fries and it was delicious. To get to the arc we had to go under a tunnel because the arc is in the center of a 6 stop round about so it would’ve been dangerous trying to cross. We walked 280 steps to the very top of the  arc and the view was amazing. You could see the Effile tower and all the other beautiful buildings, it was really nice. After that we went to the Beaugrenelle shopping mall. The outside was very pretty, they had a lot lot of security though so that was kind of weird because in every store there were about 5-6 security guards and i felt they were following us in certain stores. I did find some cute stuff in the mall but they didn’t have that many stores so try to go to another mall if you want to shop in Paris.

Day 17

The start of the day was really slow, we left around 1:30 to go on a group excursion with the Econ class to the counterfeit museum. It took us almost 2 hours to get there because of the unexpected closed train lines. Dr. V is really good with directions so he figured out the alternate route. The Counterfeit museum was really interesting, i didn’t realize people made knock of viagra or car parts. 

After the museum we went to some grocery stores in that district to compare the prices to the other 4 districts we visited. Then I went to the Ban Thai spa in hopes of getting a interview with one of the managers. I was unsuccessful, she told me to return on Saturday but no one was available when we went back. Later on that night i made egg rolls in the oven. They were really good surprisingly.

Day 16

Today we went on a boat tour. In the beginning of the day we didn’t really do much. I ate at the university cafeteria, I order a cheeseburger and fries. The burger was ok, it wasn’t seasoned but it was good enough. Later on we took the train to the Eiffel Tour. I thought it was going to be silver and shiny but it was bronze and dull. We did stay for the twinkling of the tower and it was really beautiful then. We ate chicken kabobs on the river of the Effie tower. I had a lot of fun.

Counterfeit Museum

Yesterday started out pretty slow. I watched Netflix all morning until it was time to go. We went on a class trip with the Econ class to the Counterfeit museum. It took us forever to get there because the train we were supposed to take ended up being closed and Dr. V had to figure out an alternate route. The museum was pretty interesting, it featured all types of counterfeit product from purses and shoes to medicine and toys. It was interesting to see the lengths people will go to create counterfeit products. Some of the products were pretty convincing but there were also a few I could tell were fake as soon as I saw them. They also had a game where you had to try and distinguish the fake products from the real ones.

After we left the counterfeit museum, we went to look around the city. Sky and Taylor went to a spa so sky could try and interview them while Abby and I went to a sweet shop. I tried a macaron and spent 20 euros on Parisian chocolates. I didn’t like the macaron that much and I haven’t tried the chocolate, I want to take it home with me so hopefully it doesn’t melt. We went souvenir shopping after that and I was able to get everything else I needed. After we took our stuff back to the dorms, I went with Abby and some other people to a book shop and they wanted to go souvenir shopping so we went back the area we were in earlier. We decided to grab dinner at this little cafe and I had a chicken sandwich and fries, it was really good and I was glad to get some good food.

Walking Tour

We did a three hour walking tour similar to the one we did in Amsterdam. Our tour guides name was Danny and he was a good tour guide just like the last one. We visited so many beautiful parts of the city, it didn’t even feel like it had been three hours. We went to Notre Dame but unfortunately we couldn’t get to close because they're are restoring it after the fire so I couldn’t get any good pictures. My favorite site we visited had to be the Louvre. We couldn’t go inside but we got to walk through the gardens and go see the pyramid that is outside of it. It’s huge and the outside of it is so pretty, hopefully I can actually go inside on Friday night.

After the walking tour, we came back to the hostel to eat lunch and I ate some chicken and potatoes I bought from the grocery store. It was really good. After lunch, we went back out in the city to explore and look at different grocery stores in different parts of town to compare prices. Groceries over here are a lot more expensive then they are at home. I found these barbecue Doritos and I just had to try them, I’ve been trying to taste new things while over here and they were pretty good.

Finally in Paris!!!!!

We traveled to Paris on Monday and that was a very long trip. Unfortunately, I was placed in travel group one and I had to get up at 5:30 so we could leave the hostel at 6 am. We got to the train station a little early so we had time to grab breakfast, I kept it simple and got a chocolate muffin and some water from Starbucks. It was about a three hour train ride to Paris and I watched Netflix for a majority of the ride. Once we got there, we had to wait at the train station for group 2. While we there I ate some extremely overpriced five guys, I normally dont eat five guys at home because its expensive but I was so happy to be able to get a good burger I didn’t even care.

We took another train to get the dorms we would be staying in. I like the housing here much better than the last two cities because its only two of us in a room. At 6, we had a small orientation and then Dr. V took us to the grocery store down the street. We have kitchens here so we can cook meals instead of eating out everyday which is nice. After the trip to the store, a group of us went to dinner and then to the Eiffel Tower. I tried escargot(snails) and surprisingly they weren’t that bad. They tasted like garlic and basil, if I didn’t already know what it was I probably would have ate more. The Eiffel Tower was so beautiful! When we first got here, it didn’t really hit me that we were in Paris until I actually saw the tower.

Paris Day 3

Yesterday we went to grocery store again and I ended just getting juice because nothing looked good. After the grocery store, we went to counterfeit museum which took us way longer to get there because of trains being out of service. When we finally arrived to museum we had a brief discussion about branding and how companies take action against people copying their brand. We spent a little over an hour looking at the different fake vs real items the museum had. I enjoyed the museum and learned a lot. After the museum we went to souvenir shops by Notre Dame and I got a gyro that was pretty good.

Paris Day 2

Yesterday we went on a very long walking tour with Danny the tour guide, who was great. He pretty much showed us all of the touristy and historical things in Paris. We saw the statue of Henry the Magnificent and learned how they took Napoleon’s body off a different statue to make Henry’s. We did later see the statue of Napoleon. We also walked through the courtyards of the Louvre and got to see the pyramid.  We also walked through a carnival type area with a really big ferris wheel that I would like to go back to if we have time. We came back from the walking tour and I ate some of the food that I got from the grocery store. It was all nasty. After that I just did some work and called it a night.

Day 15

I woke up this morning with 4 mosquito bite and I swear they itch more than usual so be careful with sleeping with the windows open because they are vicious. Any who, today we visited the counterfeit museum. It was pretty cool to see all the fake products next to the real ones. On our way to the museum it took us about 2 hours to get there because of all the closed train lines that we did not anticipate. When we arrived we had a sit down discussion on how companies are taking action to prevent their products from being copied and their brand being tarnished. We talked about how some brands have a special ink they apply so they can spot the difference as well as QR codes to distinguish the real from the fakes. After the museum I went to a near by spa, Ban Thaï Spa in hopes of getting an interview but no one was available to do one at the time. I did gather some information while I was there and hopefully when i come in Saturday I’ll have some luck. We also went to a few souvenir shops, their selection of T-shirts and sizes were very limited so that was a bummer and I’ve noticed that their sizes run a whole lot smaller than US sizes.

Day 14

Today was our first official day in Paris! We went on a walking tour with our tour guide Danny from Ireland (that’s what he called himself) He did a really good job with explains the history of the Louvre, Palace of Louis, and the general history of Paris. I did enjoy the tour he took us to the statue of Henry the Magnificent and told us how he got to become kind even though he wasn’t a Christian. He also took us to this Carnival area where they had Farris wheels , big swings and other rides which was cool because it was right outside the Tuileries Garden. Later on that day I decided I wanted a burger and some fries so i went across the street to the kabob place Dr. V told us about and let’s just say I’m sticking with the grocery store food until we leave. The burger itself was tiny and they loaded it up with mayonnaise and the bun was like 2x bigger than the actual burger. I was disappointed. They also use mayonnaise as a dipping sauce for fries, which i think is gross.

Day 13

Today was a travel day. I woke up at 8am to be down stairs at 9am to catch our train to Paris. The train was three hours so I slept the whole way. When we got off the train we headed to the dorms. The train we took to get to the dorms was insanely packed it was really crazy trying to get on, I was very overwhelmed. We were the first group to make it to the stop some of the others had to catch the second train because of all of the people. When we got our rooms there was a roll out bed and a regular bed . Me and Taylor flipped a coin and I got stuck with the roll out but it’s not that bad because I didn’t have to sleep under the window. Later on we went to grocery store, Franprix so we could get some food to eat through out the week. (Our dorms have kitchens so we’re planning on cooking or microwaving our food here). When checking out at the grocery store I could tell that the cashier was annoyed that we all were paying with big bills and I couldn’t understand what she was asking us (she wanted to know if we had exact change) so I felt like the super dumb American and I hadn’t been there for 2 hours yet.

Paris Day 1

Yesterday was travel day!! With my terrible luck of course I was put in the group to travel at 6 am. I woke up bright and early at 5:30 to get ready and make sure i had all of my stuff. When we got to the train station we had some time to get breakfast. I decided to play it safe and get Starbucks. At 6 am you would think everything would calm and quiet. Ha wrong!! This man decided to cause a scene and mess with the cashier. I honestly don’t think he was in his right mind and he almost made me late back to our meeting point. I would to think that the train ride was very scenic, but I was sleep the whole time so I have no idea. When we finally got to Paris, we had to sit in the train station for hours waiting on group 2. While waiting, I decided to get Five Guys, which was over-overpriced because Five Guys at home is already overpriced. Dr. V and group 2 finally arrived and he taught us how to take the train.

Walking into our dorm, the first thing we noticed was that the second bed was a rollaway bed. Skylar and I flipped a coin to see who got the actually bed, I won! Our room for some reason came with three desks so we had to do some rearranging. We eventually called it quits and just settled for how we had it. Dr.V took everyone to grocery store since the cheapest was to eat here is to cook. The grocery store was a little rough considering I didn’t know what anything meant. After the grocery store, we a had a brief orientation. We decided not go anywhere that night because we knew we had a long day ahead of us (spoiler alert: we were right, today was tiring).

Day 7 Amsterdam

Our last day in Amsterdam was very uneventful. I woke up around 2 pm after going out and seeing Megan Thee Stallion the night before. When I got up, I went to the order a chicken BLT from the hostel, which was probably one of the best things I had to eat in Amsterdam. I spent the rest of the day on rest and recovery lol. We all got a sweet tooth around 8:00 and decided to get up and get ice cream. Instead of just ice cream, we got waffles with ice cream and whip on top. It was amazing.