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.

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.

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.

Last Day in Amsterdam

Last night was so amazing. Originally, we weren’t going to do anything last night but we just so happened to come across a flyer for a Megan Thee Stallion concert at a club near the hostel. I’ve been trying to see her in concert for foreverrrrrrr and the fact that I get to see her overseas is ten times better. This is my first time going out to a club while in Europe and I was pleasantly surprised. The club was really nice and spacious and they had air conditioning in there. A lot of clubs that I’ve been to in the states don’t have any air conditioning so that was a plus. They also played American music, the whole night ended up being really fun.

We ended up being out super late so I overslept and missed breakfast. Today is our last day in Amsterdam, so I’ll probably spend the day finishing up my assignments for the week. I don’t want to have to worry about any Amsterdam assignments while in Paris. I’m in group one leaving for Paris, which means I’ll be leaving the hostel at 6 a.m. tomorrow. I need to be packed up and everything tonight so I won’t have to worry about it tomorrow morning.

Saturday in Amsterdam

Today was a free day for us so I was able to sleep in. No matter how early I go to bed, I’ve still been so sleepy this last two weeks. Earlier this week, we bought tickets to go to the Moco Museum. This was a modern art museum featuring Andy Warhol and other modern day artist. The main exhibition was for a street named Banksy. I had never heard his name before but I recognized some of his artwork. I enjoyed this museum a lot more than the Van Gogh museum from yesterday. Modern art is more appealing and I am familiar with artists like Andy Warhol from art classes I took in elementary and middle school. I was also able to put names to a lot of different pieces of work I’ve seen before. And we were able to take as many pictures as we wanted in this museum.

After our museum visit, we ate lunch from this food stand outside of the museum. The food looked and smelled good but it was honestly very disappointing. I ordered a simple hamburger because I figured that was something that would be impossible to mess up but sadly I was wrong. I didn’t like it  at all. The food over here takes some getting used to and after two weeks, I’m still not used to it. Hopefully dinner tonight at the hostel will be better be because I am starving.

Day 6 Amsterdam

Today was a free day and we decided to get tickets to the Moco Museum. This has probably been my favorite museum we have been to so far. The work of Banksy is incredible. Also, we were allowed to take pictures and record in there. The museum wasn't your traditional building, it was made from an old house, so it was kind of small. There was a line of people waiting outside to get in, but we bought our tickets online and we got right in with no line. Today is more a relaxing day since I am recovering from my sickness lol.

Day 5 Amsterdam

Yesterday we went to the Van Gogh museum very early in the morning. Before going, we had a brief talk about his life. I liked that the museum was in chronological order from the start of his career to the end and you could see his progression. In the beginning of his career, a lot of his works were in black and white and very dark. Then towards the end, he started to use more color and he got a better understanding of how to actually paint. The only downside was that is was very crowded and they didn't allow us to take any pictures.

After the museum we came back to do work, get ready for dinner, and the canal tour. I enjoyed the canal tour because we got to see a big part of Amsterdam. Also, our tour was really great and informative, I appreciated that. I got tons of pictures that will go good in my book.

Day 4 Amsterdam

Today started very early because we had adventure to go on. We took a hour long train to Rotterdam. The view from train was great and we were able to see tulips, swans, and windmills. Once we got to Rotterdam, we rented bikes for the day. I was a little hesitant about the bike because I hadn’t rode one in years, but it wasn’t me who everyone needed to be concerned about. Chanel was actually unable to ride the bike, but we all thought she was just playing lol. Riding the bikes was actually really fun, painful in the end though. We rode the bikes the dock where we would take a get on a boat to tour the ports. The boat ride was really interesting and informative. After the boat ride, we rode the bikes to the lake. The lake was probably my favorite part. We got feed deer, which looked nothing like the deer in my backyard. We ate lunch at a restaurant that was really confusing. The lady didn’t understand what we meant about wanting to two different orders and she just gave us one big one. That was the only downside about the trip. Overall today was probably my favorite day of the whole program.

Van Gogh Museum

We went on a group excursion to the Vincent Van Gogh museum today. I didn’t know much about Van Gogh and his work before today so it was somewhat interesting. I’m not a huge fan of art museums, I prefer history, but it was still nice to be able to see the art of a world famous painter. After leaving the museum, we went in the city to go to a specific souvenir shop we found earlier this week. We’ve been to like four this week and this one was the cheapest so we wanted to go back to that one to get any last souvenirs. The store was near the mall so we to the tram over there and tried to retrace our steps. Eventually, we found it and we ate breakfast at a pancake house afterwards. The menu looked strange to us so we all ordered off the kids menu but once we received the food, we knew why. They weren’t pancakes but actually crepes. This was my first time trying a crepe and it was okay but I probably won’t try another one.

Tonight after dinner, we went on a river canal cruise. It was a nice experience to be able to see the city from a different perspective. Our boat captain was pretty funny and he made the trip even better. The tour guides we’ve had in Amsterdam are much better than the one we had in Berlin for the parliament visit. I was able to get a better look at the houseboats while on the river cruise and I think they are so amazing. I wouldn’t mind staying on one if I ever came back to Amsterdam.