France!!!
On Monday, there was a massive strike on all modes of transportation
in the entire country – crazy. My host mom offered to drive me to class as she
usually does, but I decided to take the 8:12am bus and get to the aib early to do
some homework. The bus was super packed, but it was nothing compared to the bus
on the way home. On top of the travel chaos, it snowed… on March 27th
– crazy! Anyways, we had a double session of pharmacology, an enmodes session,
and our pre-departure meeting for France. Afterwards, Elizabeth and I went
shopping for snacks to have during the upcoming week. I got caught in a sleet
storm walking to the bus and then was squished for the majority of the ride
home, but I saw the Haus des Döners guy on my bus and he said hi so that was fun.
On Tuesday, Erin, Peri and I left at the bright and early
hour of 5am to make it to the Hofgarten bus stop to leave for our study trip to
France. We had a 7-hour bus ride that included a rest top in Luxembourg. When
we got to Beaune, we only had time for a quick grocery store lunch before we
headed to the Hôtel-Dieu, which is a
hospital that was built in the 14th century and was functional until
the 20th century. Afterwards, while walking around the town, we all
ran into a Class of ’98 Aggie and got to talk to him for a minute. So cool! I
had dinner at an Italian restaurant with Erin, Elizabeth, Amy, Colby, and
Mason, and then I went to bed early.
On Wednesday, we were up early and on the bus to Colmar.
There, we visited the Unterlinden Museum, which is an art museum housed in a 13th
century monastery. Dr. Wasser explained the history and medicine behind the
Isenheim altarpiece, which was really neat. Afterwards, we got lunch and explored
the town. From there, we drove to Strasbourg to catch the train to Paris. By
the time we got to Paris, Erin, Elizabeth and I were so tired that we just
grabbed McDonald’s for dinner and went to bed.
On Thursday, we met our guide for our time in Paris, Julien.
He took us on a city tour to see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Grand
Palais, the Petit Palais, the Seine River, and the Louvre, among many other
landmarks. We had a quick lunch at a café and then had a tour of the Louvre.
The Louvre was super cool, but I definitely need multiple visits to truly
experience and appreciate everything it contains. Until I can go back one day,
our quick two-hour tour will have to satisfy. My favorite room was the Galerie
d'Apollon, with its gold walls, incredible paintings, and gorgeous crown
jewels. I also really liked the rooms modeled after the Palace of Versailles
(especially since we didn’t end up getting to go there). Seeing the Mona Lisa
was also cool, but it was so crowded that I didn’t even try to get up close.
Afterwards, I went to see the Notre Dame. We had a group dinner at a creperie,
and then some of us went to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night (so much
better than the Eiffel Tower during the day, by the way). We decided to go to
the top of the tower, which I was scared to death to do since I’m afraid of
heights, but it was so much fun, and the view was amazing. Until it started
raining harder and the wind practically blew us against the inside wall… But we
made it safely to the ground before embarking on our hour long journey back to
the hotel.
On Friday, we went to Montmartre instead of Versailles. We
saw the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, walked around the village, and had group
lunch, where I ate gizzard and tried foie gras (disgusting). Then, Colby, Matt,
Elizabeth, Erin and I caught our train to Nice.
On Saturday, we ate breakfast at a creperie in Nice before
heading to Monaco, which was probably my favorite place I visited this week. We
walked along the harbor and saw the incredible blue water of the Mediterranean
Sea and the huge yachts. We ate lunch at the fanciest Steak ‘n Shake ever, saw
the prince’s palace, and looked at fancy cars outside the Monte Carlo casino. Elizabeth,
Erin, and I went into the Prada store, but we left pretty quickly since they
didn’t really want us in there anyways. Back in Nice, we ate dinner at an
Italian restaurant and then went to another creperie for dessert. They actually
had Nutella and strawberry crepes in Nice… revolutionary!
On Sunday, went south to Antibes. We spend a couple of hours
on the beach. Colby went swimming, Matt, Elizabeth, and Erin dipped their toes
in, and I just sat on a rock and took in the incredible views. I have never
seen so many shades of blue in an ocean. We found a subpar lunch place and then
wandered around the town for a few more hours. Then, we went back to Nice, picked
up some dinner foods at the grocery store (mac and cheese & strawberries
for me), and watched Mamma Mia.
On Monday, we got pastries (I got raspberries too) for
breakfast and sat along the beach to eat. Then, we packed up, and the girls and
I went to a French restaurant to hang out until going to the airport. We
finally got fully cooked scrambled eggs. Once at the airport, I got a sandwich
from Pret a Manger, which is one of my favorite places (I missed an opportunity
to get it in Berlin and Paris so thankfully they had one in the Nice airport).
Our flight was delayed but only by about 15 minutes. We still landed on time. Elizabeth
and I took the bus back to Bonn hbf, and then I made my way home. At home, I
unpacked, talked to my host family, ate dinner, and called my grandparents,
parents, and boyfriend.
Overall, this was a really fun week! The highlights were definitely
the Eiffel tower sparkling at night & seeing Paris from the top, Monaco, Nutella
and strawberry crepes, and packs of fresh fruit. The week was super tiring,
though, and I got a bit overwhelmed thinking about everything I have to do in
the coming weeks. I’ll just have to work hard in the three days I have before I
head to Antwerp and Amsterdam this weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment