For the first time, it feels like months since I have last updated this blog. That might be because being from the U.S., I am not used to traveling to different countries so quickly and returning just as quickly. My week has been extremely exciting, nerve-racking, and slightly disappointing as well. There was a group of 5 of us that traveled to Paris for three days, consisting of my roommate Hannah, two of our friends Julia and Lexi, and my very good friend Una (the one from Taiwan). We went to sleep in our hostel on Sunday not knowing that we could turn the lights off and open the window, so we all had a hard time sleeping on Sunday. On Monday, we got up around 7 A.M. to begin to get ready for Valentine's Day. I had looked at the map that morning and saw that the Sacre-Coeur Basilica was on the way to our lunch destination that day. Unfortunately, I decided to be stubborn and try to wear heels, as I was in Paris and it was Valentine's Day. I did not account, however, for our group wanting to walk around everywhere the first day instead of taking the metro. Despite the possible pain, I agreed that we could walk everywhere and we did, in fact, walk around for 8 hours. We walked to the Basilica and it was extremely beautiful. There were some people there selling bracelets that were too forward and would not leave anyone in the vicinity alone. Otherwise, the basilica itself was amazing and you could view practically the entire city of Paris from that vantage point. We stayed around that location for around 2 hours before heading to a coffee shop, as I saw my roommate almost falling asleep due to the early rise that morning. We went to a coffee shop and then a shoe shop that Una had wanted to visit for a while. After this, we walked to lunch at Pink Mama, which was a fantastic Italian restaurant that was perfect for our group as it was not too expensive but had a great ambiance. After our great meal, we took some photos on the stairs in Pink Mama and then waited for an uber for Una, as she was going to meet up with one of her friends for half of the trip. Lexi, Julia, Hannah, and I walked back to our hostel, I ended up putting my heels to rest and switched to a much more comfortable pair of tennis shoes, and we rested in our hostel for about an hour. Our group decided to use the Paris metro system instead of walking this time and were able to figure out directions pretty easily. We went to the Arc de Triomphe and it was raining. Thankfully I had brought an umbrella. From there, we walked toward the Eiffel Tower, tried Escargot at dinner, and watched as the Eiffel Tower sparkled at night before heading home. The next day was an even earlier rise, as we had to be in Versailles at 9 to enter the Palace of Versailles. We got up early and went to a small breakfast place, having a hard time communicating with the store owner as he spoke no English. Body language and pointing seem to be key in those situations. Afterward, we got on the metro, went on another train, and headed to Versailles, where we got fined because we bought the wrong train ticket. Despite being an hour late, we managed to get into the palace and spent around 6 hours there and in the gardens of Versailles. My roommate Hannah was eager to see Marie Antoinette's fake peasant village and I think Lexi and Julia enjoyed the animals there more than the palace itself. We headed back to Paris, tried macarons and hot chocolate, saw Notre Dame quickly (as it was burned down and still under construction), and headed back to our hostel. We attempted to go to a local bao place called Gros Bao but the line was out the door and the restaurant did not take reservations. I ended up eating pasta again with the other girls, watched some of the PSG v Real Madrid game in the hostel bar, and went to bed. The next morning, we got up early again and headed to the Louvre, in which we spent several hours. Our group went to get Ramen afterward and then parted with Una. I was extremely tired and got irritated, resulting in me quickly returning to our hostel. I spent the rest of the afternoon in our hostel completing some MCAT studying and packing for our trip to Brussels the next day. I got up around 5 AM the next day with Hannah and Una and headed to Brussels to spend a few hours there. In Brussels, I got a traditional meal and headed to the Grand Place shortly after. Hannah and I picked up some waffles and Belgian chocolate, spent some time near the Royal Palace in Brussels, and then headed back to the bus station to go to the airport for our return to Chester. The past few days, I have run some errands, done a lot of MCAT studying, and completed homework for my Chester classes.
Picture Descriptions
Top Left: Me in the Louvre
Top Middle: Pink Mama Staircase
Top Right: Palace of Versailles
Second Left: Outside of Palace of Versailles
Second Middle: Me outside the Louvre
Second Right: View from Basilica
Middle Left: Me in front of Arc de Triomphe
Middle Middle: Eiffel Tower Sparkling
Middle Right: Most of Group in front of Basilica
Fourth Left: Me in front of Basilica View
Fourth Middle: Notre Dame
Fourth Right: Hannah and I in Louvre
Bottom Left: Me in the Louvre
Bottom Middle: Me in Grand Place in Brussels
Overall, it is hard to process that I was in three different countries all within a span of a week. I had so much fun and think I saw so many things. However, I have gained a lot of anxiety. The way I was raised and how I like to plan trips is to have a general plan at least, but I am afraid this makes me seem controlling to others. I feel a little left out and that not many people in our group would like to travel with me again, which I know is not true but I worry anyway. I miss my friends at home and the ease that comes with years of friendship and trust. The plan for these next few weeks is to study for the MCAT intensely and to figure out the rest of the trips for this semester.