Week 8- France

Ok so can I just start out by saying that I LOVE FRANCE. This week has been seriously one to remember. To begin it all, we left Tuesday morning to go to Colmar which is a city in France with a lot of German influence. This is because for a long time, Germany and France disputed over this region and so the city went back and forth belonging to each country for some time. The city itself was beautiful. It was just so strange because it seemed like a ghost town when we arrived. Walking through the streets, all the shops were closed and all of the restaurants too. I think we only saw 10 other people walking around who weren't in the program. We had to stop and eat at a small little bakery where I tried Quiche Lorraine for the first time and it was so good. My mouth is watering while I'm typing this lol. After lunch we went to a very nice museum where we got to see some amazing artwork and more importantly, the Isenheim Altar. This piece of Christian artwork was astonishing to look at and I would seriously recommend it to anyone else. Fun fact, the creator of the Statue of Liberty was from Colmar so In Colmar, there is another statue of liberty on display made by the same sculpture!

After spending a few hours in Colmar (not nearly enough time) we carried on our journey in the bus until we got to a town named Beaune (pronounced like Bone), There we settle for the night in a very nice hotel. On the first night, we as a program ate at a very nice restaurant where we ate a famous dish of beef cooked in a Burgundy wine sauce. It was super good. After dinner, we returned to the hotel for a while and then I went out with some friends to a bar to have a drink. We had such a great time! The next morning we woke up early to go on a tour through the Hotel Deue or however you spell it. It used to be a hospital back in the middle ages and it was run by a convent of nuns and they offered very good healthcare to the citizens,rich or poor, who needed it! The museum was very nice and our tour guide, a small little old lady, was hilarious!!! We learned a lot that day.

Continuing on our journey, it was time for the main event. PARIS. Pulling up to the city, I could not believe my eyes. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I'd see the eiffel tower in person. The city was amazing too. Lots to do and lots to see. On the first day, we were taken to dinner at a Crepe restaurant and we were accompanied by our awesome tour guide Julien. The next day we went on a cool bike your throughout the city which was an experience.... All in all we had 4 people down by the end of the tour lol. Luckily i was not one of them. Getting around by bike proved to be very efficient and I was so astounded by a lot of the buidings and monuments that we saw. The city truly is beautiful. After the Bike tour we broke off on our own to explore the city for a little bit and thats when I went to the top of the Arc de Triumph and spent all my money in the souvenir shop lol. Then we went to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower that night which was freaking amazing. A once in a lifetime opportunity I think. (Although I ran in to a little bit of a rough patch while going through security. The security guard was definitely a dirtbag to say the least.) Anyways, that night is when I began to notice just how dangerous such a big city could be. There are so many scam artists and so many thiefs and little gypsy kids trying to pickpocket you any chance they get. It was definitely annoying always having to be on your guard. The next day we went and saw the Notre Dam Cathedral which was extremely beautiful. Just across the street from it is a little bookstore called "Shakespeare's books" and everyone who worked there spoke english because they were from England and it was just such an awesome book store! That night, I went to dinner with Rachel and Ethan and Maggie and we had some amazing french food. I tried escargot and actually liked it. If you know me, you know that I can be a picky eater but studying abroad is definitely starting to change that!! Then I went out with some friends to a really cool club in Paris that was underground in almost a cave like setting! The alcohol was expensive but boy was it fun. Definitely a time to remember. On the last and final day, I woke up early to go on a walking tour throughout Paris with Julien. We started out by seeing the famous basilica there, and then the small little village called Montemart where famous artists like Van Gogh and Picasso lived. It was such a nice area!  After that we stopped for some lunch at a small cafe where the BMEN kids had a little meeting to discuss 211. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been given a raw burger to eat.... It still makes me sick thinking about it. Anyways, it was definitely a great day and a great way to end the week! Now its time for spring break where the Vacation of my Dreams in about to begin!! SO EXCITED.

P.S. This week we said goodbye to Kristin Vosbeck, our program coordinator. So Sad ): she was great