Saw Jesus on Easter

March 29-April 1
Luxembourg, Luxembourg & Bruges & Brussels, Belgium


I think part of my Lent was having to not travel on the weekends. And thank goodness Easter brought with it the end to my traveling drought. I spent any free time I had the past two weeks trying to figure out where to spend Easter and I ended up with my last resort: Belgium. Then it turned out to be one of my favorite trips.


I was still figuring out my plans on Tuesday when I asked my Hungarian friend in French culture what her plans were. She was going to Luxembourg and Belgium with the girl from Ohio and California. I went to London with them, and the girl from California had invited me on the trip earlier. So I joined them. I booked an earlier train to Luxembourg because it was a bit cheaper than the one they were going on. On Friday, I got to the train station and couldn’t find the train number on my ticket, so I just matched it with the time to see what platform. There was only one 7:50 so I thought it was fine, despite being a little hesitant. After about 15 minutes I realized that I was headed to Switzerland and not towards Luxembourg. I accidentally got a ticket for the 7:50pm train and not am. It’s usually in military time, so I’ve gotten used to disregarding the am and pm. I got off at the next stop and bought a ticket back to Strasbourg and then another to Luxembourg. I had a connection on the way to Luxembourg which was a bus. When a small white van pulled up, I was a little surprised. It was not what the term “bus,” or the professional printed-off ticket was implying. Regardless, I hopped on and rode in the 8-person van the last hour and a half to Luxembourg.

Wall of Luxembourg >>> Wall
of China

The only reason I wanted to go to Luxembourg was because it’s so close and I’ll probably never go again. I could spend a hot sec there and then check it off my list. And that’s exactly what I did. There was the ‘Wall of Luxembourg’ as I deemed it and that’s about it. We walked along it, near it, ate lunch, and dipped. The only good thing was the fact that tickets from there to Bruges, even factoring in the cost to get to Luxembourg, were about $100 cheaper than leaving from Strasbourg.

The Whole City Was This Cute

If I'm Lost Look for Me at
An Art Museum 

I got to Bruges that night. The next day I went to an art museum. It wasn’t big but it still had impressive art and ranged from the 13th century to modern art. I then walked around. It was raining so I took every opportunity I had to go into stores. It's a tourist city so there were lots of cute stores. I then ate and went on a walking tour. It stopped raining and the tour was super informative. I learned that Bruges used to be a port city but then the sand bar went up and they lost their access to the coast. As a result, they lost their whole industry and became a poor city. Because of this, the city was never able to change architectural styles and modify the city, so the city center looks just like it did in the 13th/14th century. My favorite thing that I learned was that there was a convent that operated a brewery on the side. After the tour, I got a waffle from a place the tour guide recommended. It added to the holiness or holy week. I then walked, picking up some trinkets for the rest of the day.

The Basilica

On Sunday, I went to mass at the Basilica of the Holy Blood. There is a relic there that is believed to be a cloth with the blood of Jesus. I went the day before and it was a small church so I got there 35 minutes before to make sure I got a seat. When I tried to go in, a lady stopped me and when I told her I was there for mass she didn’t believe me. She then tried to convince me to not attend mass by saying that it was going to be 2 hours long, and they were going to lock the door so I couldn’t leave. After reassuring her that I was in fact ok with those falsified stipulations, she let me in… to an empty church. Less than five people were there. Mass was an hour (like I assumed), they didn’t lock the doors (because people came in late) and I stayed the whole time. There were 11 priests and they blessed us with the relic twice. Mass was at 11 so I got out around noon. I continued my exploration and ate Belgium fries. That evening I headed to Brussels.

All That My Dad
Remembered from Brussels

All of the museums were closed on Monday and Europe celebrates Easter Monday more than Easter Sunday so almost everything was closed. I just walked around the whole day trying to kill time before my 6:30 bus ride back. I saw all the landmarks, and most parks and walked two hours (one there and one back) to see a church. I clocked in a little over 16 miles.

I rode the 8-hour bus back and got back around 2:30. Bruges now tops the list

of favorite places I’ve been this semester with Brussels (due to circumstances)

is last.

Dream Combination

Locked In & Locked Out

March 15-28
School, Library, Lauren’s Apt. 

Let me start this by saying: I had it coming. I knew eventually I would have to do some schoolwork. The two weeks after my mom and Liz left I spent grinding. I know you don’t want to hear how hard it is to work on a project and do some readings while living in Europe, so I’ll save you. BUT… I did have a 3-day intensive class and got locked out of my apartment (I have every right to complain about that). 

In Europe, they have intensive classes where the whole course takes place in the span of a few days rather than the whole semester. I had to take one because I was very limited on what marketing classes I could take here that would count. It was last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 8:30 to 5:30 (Friday it was 6:30). We were assigned groups and played a simulation that was supposed to mirror running a company over a few years. We had products that we had to research, design/redesign, launch, market, and more. The instructions were 69 pages if that tells you anything. To add pressure, we were competing against other groups and ranked by our financial results. There really wasn’t any lecture, just fast-paced grinding. We were kinda thrown into the wind and did our best. I’ve had better weekends here.

We Were Team S
RIP

On Saturday morning, we finished the simulation and then had to work on a presentation. It was due at noon and then my group presented at 2:30, so I went back to my apartment for lunch. When I leave in the morning for class, I always put my keys in my purse before and then grab and go, but when I come back I always put them down. So when I arrived, I put them down and when I left, I thought they were in my purse. This wouldn’t be a problem, except for the fact that my door (along with every European door) locks automatically. As soon as I closed the door, I realized my mistake. I headed back to class and quickly texted the apartment people because when I moved in they told me there was an extra key. Class got done at 5 which was great, but the apartment people hadn’t texted me back. The French don’t answer anything past work hours and no one works on Sundays, so I thought I was screwed till Monday morning. 

My Makeshift Bed
(Blanket not Featured)

Lauren (my A&M friend for those who need a refresher or haven’t read my previous blogs), kindly offered me shelter and food in her apartment. At some point during the 50-minute walk over (because I act like the tram doesn’t exist), it started raining and I almost booked a flight back home. At Laurens, I was treated to ramen, wifi, her clothes, and a spot on the floor. In return, she got free entertainment. At some point in the night, I was showing her OJ Simpson's TikTok account because when are sleepovers ever normal. Shortly after, I started watching YouTube videos on how to break into an apartment and was making makeshift tools out of my plastic water bottle to break in. After practicing on Lauren's bathroom door, I finally utilized the tram and tried breaking in. As soon as I saw the door, I knew it wasn’t going to work. After some failed attempts and only minor damages to my university ID card and water bottle tool, I gave up.

Sunday morning I got a call and picked up the spare keys. At 12:30 on Sunday, I finally got to enjoy my weekend.

Au revoir!

PS: We got 2nd to last in the simulation game after being last the whole time

Flew in a French Translator

March 8-17
Munich, Germany & Strasbourg
Featuring: Mom and Liz

My mom came to visit me because she knows I’m not coming back, Lizzy came so she could brag to all her friends. I met them in Munich, and then they visited me for a few days in Strasbourg before they headed to Lucerne, Switzerland.

Okayyy Germany

I got less than 24 hours in Strasbourg before I caught a bus to Munich. Whenever there is a train strike, FlixBus becomes my bestie. This time it was the Germans and not the French on strike. It was close to a seven-hour ride. Although hearing about my mom and Lizzys' experience with the trains, my journey was better. I'm a professional traveler now, so I had snacks, a pillow, a blanket, and movies downloaded. At one point during Cheaper by the Dozen, I looked out the window and realized we were driving through the mountains. I think it was the Black Forest. I arrived close to 10, so I headed to the hotel right before my mom and Liz crashed.

That's Lizzy not Me

We spent most of Saturday at the Dachau Concentration Camp. It was the first concentration camp and used as a model for all the others. Visitors can go into the buildings, and one was filled with information plaques. We then returned in the evening and went into a few churches. I then introduced them to Rituals. It is a fancy European Bath & Body Works that we’re obsessed with. Liz was sold. We then went into an H&M home and a H&M with a cafe and makeup section. Cultural shock. We also went into a Lego store. In every Lego store we’ve been to, they have the country's landmarks. So, I’m tempted to make a whole Instagram post of my travels, but they’re all the Lego versions. In one of the churches we went into we decided to go to mass there that night rather than Sunday morning. After, we went to dinner. I got another schnitzel, and we got a dessert that was similar to bread pudding.

She Twinned with Me, not the
Other Way Around

Just a Little Tipsy

On Sunday, we went to a former palace. It was the first palace I’ve been in on this Europe trip. We had the free audio guides and were listening to every audio in each room, until about halfway when we all collectively gave up. The rooms were just as pretty when you didn’t know anything about the history of it. Afterwards, we went to a beer garden. I don’t know the names of anything because I was just following my mom and not planning. I got coke at the beer garden. But don’t worry, I still got drunk. There was a band playing music, and I was getting flashbacks from the polka episode in The Backyardigans. We walked around after and saw a random Michael Jackson shrine on someone else’s statue. Who did it better Lizzy or Me?

We caught the train back to Strasbourg Monday morning and I became a tour guide for a city I leave every weekend. Although, I was showed up just a little because my mom has seven years of French under her belt. I showed them Primark, and they were not fans 😢. They were fans of tarte flambee though. I took them to our go-to tarte flambee place. They are a traditional meal from our region in France. It’s a flat crust with cheese cream and onions, ham bits, and any additional topping. It's good, but for €6 it’s delicious. Before dinner, I showed them around and we went into the business school.

On Tuesday morning we walked around La Petite France, which is my favorite area. When you look up pictures of Strasbourg it shows you that area. Mom then bought me a coat, which meant Lizzy wanted something too. I came back for two back-to-back lectures, which were both oddly online. I think my mom and Lizzy went on a walking tour. About an hour into the lecture, I logged out of Zoom because the professor still had not joined. She sent an email later saying she had problems, but all of us could get on, and it said on our end that the host never joined. This is the same professor who has canceled five previous classes, so I’m not really buying it. Liz and Mom were already off on their adventure, so I just stayed in till my other one started. We got dinner at the best restaurant I’ve been to in Strasbourg. After those two restaurants, I was out of places to take them for French dinner. My mom found a good one for the next day, so I was saved.

Wednesday I spent all day at the business school, while they went to Colmar. After my class got out at noon on Thursday, we had a picnic near the river to celebrate the first sunny day Strasbourg has seen this year. I’m excited for it to finally get warm here because that’s the Europe I want. We went on a river boat tour. I finally learned a little about the city I've been living in for two months now. Mom and Liz left that evening, and I finally had their clutter out of my apartment. Now I’m just waiting for Mary Katherine to get here. I stayed here this weekend because I suppose it’s about time I study during my study abroad. I’ll also be here next weekend because I have a class all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I’ll go back to easy class and travel the week after, don't worry.

Au revoir!
 

My French alter-ego was on Full
Blast for Them

A Redhead and a Leprechaun Walk into an Irish Pub...

March 2-5
Dublin, Ireland


I traded in Gamez for Cunniff. I went to Ireland with a redhead, and I was the one with more Irish

The Nashville of Europe

ancestry. 

Before leaving, I asked an Irish student in one of my classes for a good town recommendation near Dublin. He proceeded to write me a whole recommendation list with things to do, restaurants, pubs etc. God bless the Irish! It was our guidebook for the whole trip.

We arrived Saturday afternoon just in time for dinner and pubs. The main street was all lit up and filled with crowds. We went to a pub on the strip that had a band. You know that one commercial where everyone in the bar sings Sweet Caroline? It was giving that. The bar should have been a karaoke bar the way that everyone was singing.

Sunday morning we had perfect weather, so we spent it all outside. We walked around Trinity’s campus and it was only slightly better than A&M’s. We saw the Dublin castle, Temple Bar, and St. Patrick's Cathedral all from the outside. We then went to the Botanical Gardens. There were a few greenhouses, and the Glasnevin cemetery attached. We spent lots of time in the rainforest greenhouse because it was amazingly humid and warm. That night, we got dinner at Nando's because Lauren is obsessed with One Direction, and One Direction was obsessed with Nando's. Ask me about my Nando's hostess story later because I need to tell it dramatically in person. 

On Saturday, we went to a neighboring town, Dalkey. The town had one main street. We went to the coast and nearly got blown into the water. We got too close at one point and got soaked by a spray of a wave. We returned to town to go on an interactive tour at the Castle & Heritage Centre. When we arrived, we checked it out, and the employee convinced us to come back for a tour. The tour took place in an old castle and was led by people in character. There was an old medic, a guard, and a cook. Anytime they needed a participant, I volunteered. We headed back to town after that. We got dinner, and it was pouring, so we called in early.

Asked a Group of Guys to Take our Photo
Only to Realize They were American

We headed to Howth the next day. That town has been the best place I’ve visited so far. There was a hiking trail that went along the coast. It was a Lizzy type of hike: nice and easy. We had the trail to ourselves. After, we went into town for some calamari and fish and chips. You could easily forget that you were in Dublin, and not the east coast. The American in me was then restored by eating Auntie Anne’s at a mall back in Dublin. There was also a T.J. Maxx to complete the experience. We then started the long night ahead.

I Prefer a Coke

So… we bought a 6:00am flight out of Dublin and not a hostel for the night. We thought that since we’d be waking up so early, a hostel wasn’t worth it. So a Tuesday night bar crawl was the logical thing to do. After the mall, we sat at a park in Trinity till it went dark then went to the business school for about an hour. First bar we went to I got a Guinness. I’m not surprised that the same Irish who eat unseasoned boiled potatoes are the same Irish who drink Guinness. It was not too tasty. But I finished (my half pint). We then went to another bar and I got a cider. I don't think two bars can be considered a bar crawl, but they were too comforting to leave. We stayed there till closing at midnight. For a Tuesday night, they were both full. Since my Irish classmate gave us recs, the bars we went to were old and non-touristy. We headed back to the hostel to grab our bags and ate our leftover cold fish and chips in the lobby with our hands. There weren’t many options for the bus that takes you to the airport, so we got the 1:00 one and decided to get to the airport early. We chilled at the airport for a few hours before our flight. I'm really glad we had the time to do day trips because we got the best of both worlds. If I go back I'd love to just do the small towns. If the weather was 30 degrees warmer, it'd be a perfect country.

Au revoir!

Little Does he Know there are Bows
and Arrows at my House

City of [Concert] Lights

February 29-March 1 & March 6

Paris, France

When in Paris, eat like the French. At the beginning of our trip, this consisted of McDonald's, grocery store pizza, a bag of chips, a baguette, and a train station salmon sandwich (unintentionally). Our end of the trip consisted of Chipotle and bread. Remi would be so proud. 

Everyone Mistook us for Parisians

We pulled a Monte Carlo- we went to Paris, then caught a plane elsewhere. We had a week off for our spring break (which they called winter break), and my friend Lauren and I wanted to go to Dublin. Lauren and I partnered up for spring break because she needed to be in Paris by Thursday to meet her mom, and I needed to be in Munich by Friday night to meet mine. Plane tickets to Dublin were super expensive out of Strasbourg, but cheap out of Paris. Visiting Paris would also give us more to do over the week.

We caught a train out Thursday night and were too tired to do much. We checked into our hostel and walked around, eventually stumbling on a McDonald's. Lauren’s first time in Paris started with being told “bon appetite,” as we got handed our McDonald's meal. Because I had already been to Paris, and Lauren was seeing the main sights with her mom and sister, we made no plans. We walked over 14 miles, wandering around in the cold and rain. We started with the Tuileries Garden, which is located right next to the Louvre. We then walked down Champs-Elysees and went into the stores, as an attempt to get out of the rain. The strip has lots of designer and popular brands. There was a building in the shape of a Louis Vuitton suitcase, but we never went into it. We had to order macarons from the McDonalds on the strip. Not gonna lie, they were delicious. The strip ends with the Arc de Triomphe. We then went to the National Library of France because it was one of the only free things inside. By the time we got out, it stopped raining and was sunny! We got a grocery store lunch and were off again. We walked along the river and saw Notre Dame. It’s still under construction from the fire, so we couldn’t see the front up close or the inside.

Trees to the Right Blocked the Crane

We finished the night with a 1975 concert! Originally we were going to fly out on Friday, but Lauren loves the band and saw that they were performing, so we decided to leave on Saturday. She said tickets are really hard to get in the US, and we were able to get floor tickets the week of for Paris. The concert was a whole theatrical performance. The stage was like a '70s house with couches, TVs, rugs etc. The lamps would all be flickering in sync at times, the TVs would show live footage of the band or videos, and at one point Matty Healy, the singer of the band, was on the roof. MK heard me going off about it in detail on FaceTime, but I’ll spare you all the details. Just know it was one of the coolest things I’ve seen!

When we booked our flight it said Paris (Beauvais). That is the equivalent of saying Houston and having the airport in College Station. Make sure to check where you're flying out of in advance kids! It took us 2 hours to walk to the train station, take a train, then a bus to get there. Because of the train times, we left for our 4:00 flight at 10:00.

We arrived back in Paris on Wednesday morning. I went to Musee d’Orsay. The museum is free if you are an EU student, so I just flashed my student visa and got in. They had an impressionist floor which had art by Monet, Van Gogh, and Renoir. We took a nap because we hadn’t slept since Monday night (read about our Dublin adventures to know why). Our night ended at a jazz club. Shoutout to my Aledo neighbor Jenna for the recommendation. The music was great, but the people watching was a 12/10. It's a super famous club. The old people owned the dance floor. If I could add videos to this blog it'd be full. I caught a six-hour bus the next morning because it was super cheap. With a water bottle and bag of bread, I got on and headed back to Strasy!

Au revoir!

When the College Kids Showed Up

The jazz club: http://www.caveaudelahuchette.fr/ 

Elizabeth Bennet by Day, George Washington by Night

February 20- 26

London, England 

“At a pub with good friends, good music, and English with an accent. What can be better?” Who am I to disagree with the wise words of George Gamez? At the time, there really was nothing better. I went with two A&M girls and then two other Americans. One is from California and the other is from Ohio. While all the exchange students talk and work together in class, people stick to their home area group for weekend trips. We got in on Thursday evening and went straight to the hostel. Everyone slept in, while I hit the ground running. By the time the others left, I had walked to Big Ben, strolled around St. James Park, saw the changing of the guards, ate lunch, and was at the British Museum. Gamez vacation

England and Its Traditions 🙄 

 style wins again. When I went to Buckingham Palace, there was a crowd that seemed to be waiting for something. I looked up the changing of the guards and saw that it was at 11 that day, but it was only 9:50. I overheard people talking about the route and gesturing and my mind went to ‘a royal’s about to stroll through’. I started searching for any royal events happening, but nothing was coming up. I then decided to ask a security person and he told me the crowd was for the changing of the guards. I decided to stay, despite being a little crushed over the no royal sighting. I waited for about 35 minutes before I heard the band. I was off to the side, so I only got to see the soldiers march in and out. At about 11:30 I called it quits because it wasn't that entertaining and I had been there forever. I made my way to the British Museum, eating a BLT on the way. Thank goodness the museum was free because it was mid. I spent about an hour and a half there, spending almost all my time in the Greek and Roman section. 

The Pub was Pubing
                                                 

After that, I passed the National Portrait Gallery, so I decided to go in. This one was definitely worth my free admission ticket. It housed a lot of royal paintings and the plaques told you a little bit about the person. My favorite room housed a collection of paintings of random people. At the time these were painted, portraits had become no longer a thing for the elite. I loved the royal portraits with all their glamor, but it was giving too much history textbook vibes. I walked around some more and eventually met up with the lazy bums to go see Big Ben. We took pictures and window-shopped before we split. They went to the British Museum, while I went to the National Gallery. I loved the National Gallery. I got to see Van Gough’s famous sunflower painting, some Monet’s, and tons of Renaissance. I was there for about two and a half hours. We met up there before dinner. We ate pies at an old pub and I’ve never loved the British more. It was a vibe.

My Favorite Room in the Portrait Gallery

The two non-Aggies rented a car to go see Stonehenge and a park that was featured in the Pride & Prejudice film. Assuming this could be my one chance to do it, I joined them. To get to the car spot, I hopped on a double-decker bus and got to see the city. The drive to Stonehenge was about an hour and a half. For most of it, we were driving through the English countryside and I saw sheep! The Ohio girl was confused as to why I was so excited to see sheep in a field. Parking for Stonehenge was far out, so

Just Your Average English Park 

Me and Some Rocks
                                                   

we walked 30 minutes through some fields to see it. I was having my Jane Austen character moment. We spent about 10 minutes looking at it because there's not much else you can do, then walked back. We drove 30 minutes to the park. All I knew was that The Temple of Apollo was there, which is where the iconic rain scene in Pride and Prejudice takes place. Turns out, everything there should have been in the movie. We were there till closing, walking around. We got back to London that evening and hit up a bar. I hadn’t eaten all day because there weren't any options where we were.  After having some leftover pizza from the Aggies, I got a sudden surge of energy I'd been lacking. I was doing a Michael Jackson impersonation, had no filter, and wore my sunglasses most of the night. I took on England like I was George Washington. At the bar, we got a cider and it was delicious. We were there till they closed at midnight. After some more shenanigans, including trying to fit six people in a telephone booth, we called it a night. We left the next morning.

 

Britain Once Again Unable to Handle America 

I didn’t see many of the big London sights, but I’m holding out for when Mary Katherine and my friend Avery visit in April. Originally, I wasn’t going to go to London for that reason, but it turned out the trip was much needed. We’ve been doing smaller cities/towns and there’s only so much wandering around and admiring the architecture I can do. Plus, I needed to feel proud of myself for knowing the language of the country I was visiting. I’ve never been so happy to order my food and read the navigation correctly.

Class update: In French culture, I learned that the French are required to have 25 days off a year and if they work longer hours they are considered inefficient. Getting the student visa was the bane of my existence, but for 25 days off, I’d do it all again for a work visa. We also learned about their strikes. The French transportation system has filed for strike for the whole 2024 years, which means that they can go on strike anytime that year without going through the process (bc apparently there is one). They’re seeing the Paris Olympics as an opportunity to make a statement and the French government knows this so they’re being extra nice to them. Good thing I’m far from Paris and leaving in May. I’m getting used to being over here so my normal week doesn’t seem interesting enough to write about, but it’s still great. I have three more class days till Spring Break. I get done Thursday at noon and still don’t have a destination. I don’t feel like I deserve a Spring Break because as my mom says, ‘You're on vacation,’ but I won’t complain about a vacation during my vacation.

Shoutout to my 10 readers. Comment and use code: BringMeGift, to win a chance to get a gift from my travels. 

Merci et au revoir!

If Darcy Ever Told Me He Liked Me Against
His Better Judgement

Pain, Train, Automobiles

February 12-19
Nancy & Metz, France & Frankfurt, Germany


I know not all stereotypes are true, but why did the protesting French and strict Germans have to be? An A&M girl and I made plans to go to Paris last weekend, and I was really looking forward to it. We were unable to get train tickets though because the French transportation system went on strike. We thought we could cheat the system and make use of our German neighbors. There is a train station in Kehl, Germany, which borders Strasbourg. We looked at tickets coming out from there but it was either not available for cities we wanted to go to, or super expensive.

Nancy with the Standard European   
Grey Sky

On Friday, we ended up doing a day trip to Nancy, France because we had some friends that went and said it was cool. Well… Nancy was not fancy. We got bored after two hours and booked a train to Metz,

Hear ye, hear ye

France. Metz was a little better. There was a free museum we went to. It made mostly Greek and Roman artifacts, which I enjoyed. One room had several skeletons on the ground. I wanted a picture lying beside them, but there was a security guard in the room. We then walked around checking out different landmarks. There was this castle-gate-looking thing. It makes it hard to believe that dragons are not real when I see things like that. It was raining most of the time in Metz, but the rain here is different from Texas. We walked around in the rain for hours and left more dry than wet.

That night we were on a mission to get out of Strasbourg. After messing around with the train apps, we decided to get a 5:35am bus to Frankfurt, Germany. I woke up at 4:30 for it. I am only a morning person when it involves travel. The

Bratwurst #1 
                                                     

thought of going somewhere, allows me to get out of bed. After sleeping most of the route, we arrived at 9:30. We went to the center and checked out a church. I don’t think I understood how German Strasbourg is. The buildings look identical. Around lunch time we stumbled upon a market area. All I wanted was bratwurst and a strudel and I got both ahhhhhhh! We ate our bratwurst, then I ate some of my apple strudel, and then we got another bratwurst. We checked out an art museum. It was mostly filled with Renaissance and modern art, with sadly no Impressionism (sigh). After a quick nap at our hostel, we searched for dinner. It took us a few restaurants because they were all crowded on a Saturday night, but we eventually found one. I ordered a schnitzel and it was delicious. I don’t know why I had this theory that the Germans did not eat well. Maybe all those World War movies where they’re eating stale bread got to me.

Frankfurt Skyline

Our bus left at 10:30 the next morning so our plan was to grab a pastry and hop on. We grabbed a pastry but did not hop on. Discretion advised: If you are a responsible person who gets annoyed at people who are not- please stop reading (Mom, this pertains to you). So we did not bring our passports [insert gasp from Mom bc I know she kept reading]. We haven’t needed them in any of the places we’ve traveled because we’ve remained in the EU. This is the only trip where I did not bring it, and of course, they want it. We apparently needed it to get on the bus, yet somehow that did not pertain to the one we took there. They wouldn’t let us get on the bus without showing them our passports, so the best we could do was get a refund and find a train out. Thankfully, the bus was at the train station. We bought tickets and we were ready to get out of Germany. Frankfurt was amazing on Saturday, but Sunday morning was horrible. I saw pickpockets pickpocketing, someone passing out, and all sorts of shenanigans. I was so relieved to get on our train. It was a very pleasant 2 hours and then we got on our second train. We get on, and not only is it crowded with standing room only, but a baby is crying, and there's a homeless person next to us who smells horrible. Over the next few stops, a guy comes on with a bike and a lady comes on with a huge Disneyworld-size stroller with no kids inside. Oh wait, but it gets worse. I had been listening to music to drown out the crying baby, when my friend tapped me on the shoulder to tell me someone just threw up. Sure enough, there is vomit sliding down our side of the train. As if it wasn’t crowded enough, everyone is now moving to one side to avoid the spillage. Our stop was 10 minutes away, or else I think I would have cried. The two times we've gone to Germany we’ve had a horrible time getting out. I’m starting to think there’s a German curse.

As far as class goes (because that’s what I’m technically over here for) they’ve been good. The French education system doesn’t give out homework so I’m chilling till projects and tests come around. Finance has been pretty simple and I like the people I sit next to. My Luxury Brand Management class is super interesting. The luxury industry navigates its own way and I never understood the hype till now. My professor has worked in the industry forever so the fact that I can hear his perspective while in luxury capital France is amazing. I can’t say too much about my Strategic Brand Management class because out of the past four classes, she’s canceled three. I get done with classes a week after my original date because of it. My French Culture class is still my favorite. I love hearing about how the French think and live. The class also shares how their countries relate and differ so it’s basically a world culture class.

Me if I had Another Semester with Tons

of Test and Homework

Off to shoot a One Direction music video in London.

Au revoir!