It's hard to believe that yesterday was the last day of our Paris adventure. I feel like we just landed in Europe! But, I guess that's almost the case, as the whole trip from take-off to landing is less than five days. After another incredible hotel breakfast, we had another classroom session and, just like our first, it was great. I learned so much useful information that will make the trip I lead with students go so much more smoothly. I am also appreciative of the information and insight from the experienced group leaders and am looking forward to the documents they are graciously willing to share with us upon our return to the United States. We had quite a bit of free time in the afternoon. A couple of people had flight issues and missed the first part of our trip, so they headed to the Louvre. Our tour director offered to take the group to Montmartre to explore that area, and even though Erin and I had been there the night before, we opted to head back. We didn't, however, stay with the group and instead wandered around on our own, which was kind of nice. First, we had lunch at the cutest little cafe bistro. It would have been great to sit outside and sip our wine and eat our salads, but it was kind of drizzling and yet another dreary day, so we opted for an inside table instead. We butchered our French (but tried really hard) and had a beautiful dining experience regardless. We then bought macaroons and some trinkets for our friends and family at home. (I also picked up two giant bags of French candy for my students. Carting those around was not my favorite part of the trip!) It was just such a beautiful walk around the neighborhood, and the nice, slow, relaxing pace was so nice after being go-go-go-go-go for the past three days. It was also really nice for this introvert to have some quiet time with just one person rather than a gigantic group. (It was also a lot easier to maneuver around the city! Could Montmartre be any cuter?! Our last official event through EF was our "farewell dinner," and again, it did not disappoint. I feel like we ate like queens and kings on this trip, which makes me excited for what Peru will be like. After dinner, we had our final "optional" event, which was a night boat tour on the Seine. To get there, though, we passed by Notre Dame yet again and had the opportunity for some photos with new friends. Then, we got to the dock where our boat was waiting. Much to our surprise, our tour director and group leader had wine, chocolates, and little Parisian trinkets for us to remember our trip. We had so much fun, and the sights were absolutely indescribable. Perhaps the coolest part of the boat ride, however, was seeing the magic of the Eiffel Tower in its twinkling, glittering glory. Unfortunately, I can't upload a video to the blog, but check Instagram (or, likely, a plethora of YouTube videos) to see it in action.
After the boat tour, the group took one final ride on the metro back to our hotel. We packed up our rooms and essentially passed out from exhaustion. This morning, we woke up super early, had breakfast, and headed to the airport where we said goodbye to our new friends and headed back to our students, more excited than ever to travel the world with them.
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We were able to sleep in a little, which was so, so nice. Jet lag is real, y'all! (Also, I must say that while I was nervous about not knowing anyone and then rooming with someone who I didn't necessarily get to know at all during our first day abroad, I had absolutely no reason to be apprehensive at all. In fact, I am fairly certain that I lucked out with the best roommate possible.) Erin and I woke up, got ready, and headed down to breakfast together, and the meal that started each day was honestly one of my favorites. Our hotel was not skimping on the amazing coffee and delicious options. I legit need one of these coffee machines for my house -- holy moly. Our first event of the day was a classroom session. The whole reason I am on this trip is to learn how to be a group leader on my upcoming trip with students to Peru, so a few lectures were a necessity. But, EF did a great job of a.) not making them boring, b.) filling them with super solid advice, and c.) inviting experienced group leaders to answer any questions that we had. After, we boarded a giant coach bus that took us on a tour of Paris. This was the perfect time for a bus tour, as it was raining -- and just an all-around dreary, wet day. Also, this weekend is the centenary (the 100th anniversary) of Armistice Day, so more than 60 heads of state were gathering at the Arc de Triomphe. We toured while they were still setting up, but our bus kept getting delayed for random motorcades, likely ushering in various presidents, prime ministers, kings, etc. It was pretty darn cool. I learned so much on our bus tour. It wasn't just a "let's go look at cool buildings and fancy shops and history and stuff." It was pretty much the best history lesson I have ever had. For instance, the massive courtyard with the giant obelisk is where the guillotine -- the "National Razor" -- was. And, it was last used in the 1970s! But, it wasn't outlawed until 1981. Can you imagine?! The guillotine was still legal 37 years ago! Midway through our tour, we stopped at a small cafe. Some people ordered coffee because, well, it was barely noon. But, others of us decided when in France... The champagne was definitely the right choice. After our short break, we went to the quintessential Paris stop: the Eiffel Tower. Clearly it was still raining, and we didn't get super close, but it was still really darn neat to see something I've only seen in photographs. After, we got back on the bus and traveled a bit outside of Paris to see one of the most spectacular places in the world: the Palace of Versailles. First, the stunning golden gate that surrounds the palace grounds? Whoa. I mean, I was floored before even entering Because our group was large (approximately 40 people), we split into two different groups. One group attended the tour with the guide who was with us all day, and the other group wandered the gardens. I was in Group 1, so I headed into the palace. It was jam-packed, but we luckily had headsets (and our tour guide had a microphone) so we could hear what she was saying. This was imperative, as she was a wealth of knowledge. The opulence: I can't even. Again, it was super cool to be in the same space where so much darn history happened. The Hall of Mirrors? Where the Treaty of Versailles was signed? Wow. After our guided tour, we were set loose to wander the grounds. The palace was obviously incredible, but the gardens were also absolutely amazing. I definitely needed more than just the allotted hour to explore, as they stretched on, seemingly forever. I'm glad that the rain mostly held off while we were wandering the grounds, but it was still a pretty dreary day. I'm guessing that if we were there in the springtime, it would have been even more incredible. On our way back to Paris from Versailles, I turned on my phone (the messaging function, at least) for the first and only time. We had "free time" scheduled with an optional excursion, but my roommate, Erin, and I were instead planning on getting together with my childhood friend, Mary, who is now an expat living in Paris, and I needed to finalize plans. We ended up meeting Mary in Montmartre, a beautiful, artsy neighborhood. Before we did anything else, we walked to Moulin Rouge, an attraction I was dying to see, simply based on my obsession with the Baz Luhrmann movie of the same name. We felt super Parisian as we enjoyed glasses of wine on a cobblestone patio as the city moved around us. We then headed to the upstairs dining area of a vegetarian restaurant where we enjoyed more wine, the most delicious food, and even better conversation. After 17 years of not seeing each other, Mary and I had a lot of catching up to do! After dinner, we walked around the neighborhood and hiked up to Sacré Coeur, yet another incredibly gorgeous church. I was super bummed that photography was not permitted inside, as the mosaics were out of this world. A quick Google search, though, will show some of the beauty held inside. The outside, though, was also quite a sight to see -- and a bit ominous in the dark. And as you can imagine, I took plenty of outside pictures. In addition to the basilica itself, the view of Paris from the front of the church was unreal. I would have loved to have seen it in the daytime -- or perhaps even under a clear night sky. Erin and I said adieu to Mary and continued our walk through Montmartre. There was some really cool graffiti that again, I think would have been really cool to see during the daylight hours.
Erin and I stopped by Moulin Rouge again, but we quickly figured out that that area is a bit sketchy come late-night, so we headed down to the metro and were pretty proud of ourselves that we were able to navigate "home." It was a whirlwind of a day, and I would not have changed it for the world. When I was 15, I traveled to Germany with my grandma, and it was one of the most incredible trips of my life: she was born and raised in Mannheim, Baden-Württemburg, and lived there through World War II. Over the course of three weeks, we visited the hospital where she was born, her parents' graves, war memorials on which our relatives' names were etched, her shelter during the war, beautiful castles, and famous biergartens. But, that was the last time I had been across the ocean. Today, I traveled back to Europe on a teacher-training tour with EF. Likely to my grandma's chagrin, however, I headed to France -- Paris, to be exact. (What can I say? Grandma was a hardcore German.) Because my flight left around 4:00, I took the day off of school, finalized my packing situation, and Uber'ed to the airport. I was nervous about the time change, especially since our itinerary included heading straight to the Louvre after landing at Charles de Gaulle airport, so I savored a glass of wine or two (I was going to Europe, after all) with dinner, took my Dramamine, and attempted to sleep for a large portion of the overnight, overseas trip. Unfortunately, there were a couple of tiny humans on the plane who did not have the same idea and instead spent a few hours sprinting up and down the aisles. But, I was able to get decent rest, and before I knew it, I was welcomed to France. Per EF's instruction, I convened with our group leader and other travelers just outside of baggage claim. While I was nervous at first since I knew no one, all of that was for nothing, as everyone was so nice. I was one of the earlier travelers to arrive, and a small group of us freshened up in the airport bathroom and grabbed a table in the little cafe where we guzzled coffee and enjoyed our first French pastry. Then, as soon as the whole group landed and was ready to go, we headed to the Louvre. First, because not everyone had had a chance to eat at the airport, we grabbed a quick lunch in the food court. Going to the Louvre was so, so cool. It's a museum about which I have read endlessly, from which I have seen pictures galore, and to which I have dreamed of going. Seeing statues and paintings from ages upon ages ago was absolutely incredible. I knew Mona Lisa was small, but I was shocked at just how teeny-tiny it was. Also, I honestly don't know why it's so darn famous: I don't think it's all that beautiful, and da Vinci has way more awesome pieces, some of which I saw at the Louvre. The room where Mona Lisa is housed was absolutely packed, and yeah: I just don't get it. I was primarily drawn to the statues. The Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus de Milo were absolutely awe-inspiring. And gosh, the architecture of the museum itself was art, too. The whole experience was just spectacular. After our visit to the Louvre, we went on a walking tour of Paris, strolling along the Seine, seeing the Conciergerie and St. Chapelle from the Pont Neuf, wandering past the Sorbonne and the Panthéon and so many other awesome sights for which I do not know the names. The final stop on the walking tour was Notre Dame, which is quite possibly the most remarkable church (or even building) that I have seen. I am not a religious person by any means, yet I find churches, cathedrals, basilicas to be incredibly jaw-dropping, and I find myself so inspired inside. By the time we left Notre Dame, it was evening, and I took some photos while we waited for the rest of our group to gather. By this time, we were quite hungry, and we went out for our first group meal of the trip. In addition to the French Onion Soup and Crème Brûlée, there was also an entrée, but my photo did not turn out as appetizingly as the first and last course photos did. After savoring our first official French meal and breaking bread with new friends from all over the United States, we walked to the metro station. We successfully navigated the metro (thanks to our awesome group leader and tour guide), arrived at our hotel that was in a suburban area of the city, got our roommates (I roomed with Erin, a teacher from Colorado), and knocked out. To say we were tired would be an outlandish understatement!
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