It has been a little over a year since I got back from Europe. I was in Amsterdam, Paris, London, Venice, Heidelberg, Lucerne, Munich, and Burgundy from June 3 until June 17 of 2019.

Those two weeks were amazing. My favorite cities were Amsterdam, Heidelberg, and London. The first city we visited was Amsterdam. Of course, on the flight there, I got no sleep.

So, when we landed, I was extremely jet-lagged — but that didn't stop me from being excited.

I loved seeing so many backgrounds and cultures with a rich history. We went to Anne Frank's house. Being somewhere you read about for the entirety of your academic career was simultaneously educational and surreal.

You wouldn't believe that at one point in time, right where you were standing, a war was going on. It was incredibly amazing to have gotten the chance to go there.

In Paris, of course, we went to the Eiffel Tower.

We took the stairs up to the top, which took quite a while but was well worth the view. Similar to the experience of seeing Anne Frank's house, I've seen the Eiffel Tower in movies, books, and magazines. But, to actually be there was a completely transformative experience.

In Munich, we went to the BMW headquarters — and trust me, I know a good car when I see one.

Going to the headquarters was an amazing experience.

Although I saw several amazing countries, my favorite was London. There, we went to the Tower of London where we saw the many jewels Queen Elizabeth wore when she was young. We learned about the lineage of the Royal family.

It was extremely educational, and amazing to see all the money and jewels the royal family has.

And, of course, there were many books about Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, as they had just gotten married a year prior to us visiting.

While there, we went to a cute café nearby and, of course, had fish and chips. The next day, we headed back to Heathrow Airport to leave Europe. Getting to go there as a teenager was an amazing experience. I wish that everyone, once COVID-19 is over, could travel the world and really see its amazing wonders