January 7, 2017
Day 5
Paris
We made it to Paris!! I am so excited! It’s just as dirty and polluted as I imagined! Fatima is our guide during our stay here and she walked us through orientation before setting us loose for lunch. Macey, Brandon, Jasmine, and I had a great lunch to kick our Parisian experience off. La Place was the name. Escargot, foie gras, two-salmon pasta, and a whole bunch of Parisian air. Yum-my.
We took a boat tour of Paris where, of course, we got flipped the bird by our awesome professor (all jokes, no offense was taken). Highlight of the tour. Luckily we got to see the Eiffel tower when it was sparkling and flashing.
When we got off the boat we were free to explore and eat dinner wherever we pleased. I am not one to typically go out but tonight I decided to since it was our first night here. We first went to a Chinese restaurant to eat because some people wanted Pho. Afterwards, we took the metro, which I really enjoy as public transportation, to find a place called the Student Bar. The woman there was so cool and before we left she made us all a shot, which, mind you, I am not big on going out nor drinking. So yes, I did take my very first shot in Paris. But hey, there was hardly that much liquor and the majority was grenadine. You could imagine how it tasted: exactly like cough syrup. In case you were wondering, it was called the brain hemorrhage. Before we went straight back to the hotel, we stopped at Burger King for some food. Other than that, that was my day.
Sorry for not writing much today, it was mainly just getting settled in. Until tomorrow.
The world traveler,
Casey
THINGS I’VE LEARNED TODAY:
- Fatima made it clear pickpockets are far worse here compared to Germany.
- I like the transportation system here. It’s easy to get around.
- I like escargot and the taste of foie gras (not the morals).
January 8, 2017
Day 6
Free Day in Paris
Today was our free day here in Paris and let me tell you, it was awesome. We started out with breakfast, of course, and then broke up into groups as usual: those who went straight to shop, and those who wanted to sightsee and then shop. I, of course, being the nerd that I am, wanted to sightsee. First stop: Arc ‘de Triomphe. It was insane. It made me realize just how lucky I am to be here. After, we went to meet up with everyone else at the shopping plaza, with a few minor pit stops on the way. Can you guess where? That’s right, the pet store. Yes, I did want to take all those tiny little puppies home.
Shopping was a bust when my main goal was to find my sister a garter for her wedding. Not 1, out of the 6, lingerie stores carried them. Sad day. But my determination will not fail me because I WILL find one while I am here.
Next stop was Notre Dame. My great-grandmother would have loved to see this. I felt so blessed getting to sit in the church and take in the beauty of it. It was just as perfect as I pictured it to be.
Lunch was delicious, as expected. I got a steak with a salad and fries. I could easily get used to this Parisian food. And for dessert, what I have been waiting for, MACARONS. They are so much better in Paris (obviously).
Dinner was a mushroom risotto and a shared, MASSIVE, drink between Hunter T., Brandon, Macey, and I. But dinner followed our trip to the Catacombs. I am not one for scary things and I was so nervous going with Macey. If you know Macey personally, she has a personal goal of scaring me until I am traumatized. Well little did I know, the Catacombs weren’t scary at all, in fact, I scared Hunter T. long before someone tried to scare me.
To wrap up the night we went on a hunt for a speakeasy, Candelaria. It was literally in the back of a taco shop and it was legit. I am lucky I spent the day with people who wanted to sightsee just as much as I did. I would say we saw quite a bit for our free day. Arc ‘de Triomphe? Check. Notre Dame? Check. Catacombs? Check. Speakeasy? Check.
Even luckier, we got to see the catacombs before they closed them down for an entire month for restoration. How cool! Well, today was a success and we have another exciting one coming, so until tomorrow.
The world traveler,
Casey
THINGS I’VE LEARNED TODAY:
- Leave it to Brandon to find a speakeasy.
- The Catacombs aren’t as scary as people made them seem.
- Notre Dame is much prettier in person.
January 9, 2017
Day 7
The Louvre
As usual, we started the day off with breakfast and then traveled to ERG Europe. It was raining this morning and I completely drenched my pants. Not fun. Apparently, ERG is only made up of 8 partners and seems to be very successful. Crazy to think such a small group can be so popular and full of success.
We then had our lunchtime to break away and go where we pleased. Macey, Brandon, Hunter T., and I all went to the nearest plaza to get something quick to eat. We then went to the tourist shops to buy a few things for friends and family back home. Slightly disappointed seeing as I went to the first shop I saw and bought 10 keychains for 5 euros and come to find out the next shop was 12 for 5 instead. Oh well.
We all met back up to go to the Louvre where we spent quite a bit of time wandering through the great pieces of art. It was really cool to see a lot of the pieces that I learned about in my art appreciation class.
After the Louvre, we had more time to explore and see Paris. We ended our night eating dinner at an American burger joint where I helped myself to a nice chicken burger.
Sorry for not writing as much recently, the days have been getting longer and the time to write has been getting shorter. With that being said, time to hit the hay, until tomorrow.
The world traveler,
Casey
THINGS I’VE LEARNED TODAY:
- Paris is extremely expensive to eat if you want to try authentic food.
January 10, 2017
Day 8
Eiffel Tower
Today we ate breakfast and then made our way to the European Commission Office. Thankfully, Professor H. had one of our groups do Brexit for their project, that way we knew what they were talking about when we visited.
After that, we had the rest of our day to ourselves. I am so surprised by the amount of free time we have on this trip. We first went to eat lunch at a nice Italian place where I enjoyed a 3-cheese pasta. Afterwards, we went to see what I have been waiting the most for, the Eiffel tower!! I finally got my picture of me jumping in front of it and it turned out awesome. But before that, we actually climbed to the highest point that they allowed. And mind you, Macey is TERRIFIED of heights, but she did it. We were so proud of her! When we got back down to main ground, we almost lost Nick P. to a hippie. He came up to him and grabbed his hand and forced him to allow him to make him a bracelet. The guy also thought I was his girlfriend, super awkward. Since it was our last night in Paris we had one more stop on Brandon’s checklist, and that was Angelina’s Tea Room. Best. Hot chocolate. Ever. I had to buy some for my sister. It was like drinking pure liquid chocolate. I also had to get my favorite: macarons. I did forget to mention that I did find my sister a garter for her wedding. We had to go into a bridal gown shop. Score!! Mission accomplished.
For our last meal, I splurged and bought myself duck, which was the best decision ever. It was so tasty.
We leave bright and early tomorrow morning so time for bed! Until tomorrow!
The world traveler,
Casey
THINGS I’VE LEARNED TODAY:
- Look in a bridal shop for a garter; don’t even bother with a lingerie store.
- Macarons are a lot more expensive in Angelina’s Tea Room.
- Don’t jump in a wet grassy area because you will get covered in mud.
- Apparently, the duck I ordered comes raw but the waiter suggested for me to get it cooked and didn’t charge me a fee for it.