I woke up on Thanksgiving morning just a little depressed that I wouldn’t be spending it the usual way. Usually, Chloe is snuggling in my nook until we both venture downstairs to watch the Macy’s parade. Usually, Katherine and I cuddle under warm blankets on the couch with our tea or coffee. Usually, the kitchen smells of sweet potatoes and pie soaking up flavor for the feast to come. Usually, I hear something like “RON… RON… COME OVER HERE… DID YOU PACK THE CAR YET… ROOOON.” You might know the sound.
Instead, I listened to Alice’s Restaurant alone in my room and forced myself to get dressed for school where there would be NO turkey, NO stuffing and NO pumpkin pie. After a boring lesson on European History and a group presentation in my Cultural Awareness class, it was time to go home quickly, pack my bag, and begin on my last journey of the semester: Paris.
Thanksgiving dinner consisted of a PB&J before I left my apartment and a bag of cookies on the plane. YUM!!!!!! After spending the majority of my Thanksgiving eve traveling to the lovely apartment of miss Kaela and Margaret, I was thrilled when I finally got to take a breather in their cozy abode. After I fixed my hair, powdered my nose and enjoyed some bread, wine, and cheese, it was time for my first night out in the French city. We all had a blast and danced the night away at this bar the Loyola Parisian crew had recently discovered. Kaela’s little sis Kristen probably had the most fun of us all. After enjoying the best view of the bar from Dinko’s shoulders, she almost became fluent in French! She managed to say the word ‘oui’ or ‘yes’ when answering many questions from her new French friends. As the sun creaked through the apartment window on Friday morning, I felt like Carrie Bradshaw, covered in boa feathers that miraculously were scattered around the floor, ready to conquer the city of Paris. Unlike Carrie Bradshaw, however, who would probably use the boa feathers to make some ridiculously hideous outfit and call it ‘fashion’, I decided to bundle up in jeans and a sweater.
Some other people must have been missing America a little bit because we ended up at an American diner enjoying nachos and cheeseburger for… breakfast? We then ‘hung out’ in Starbucks. After walking around the city and stopping in some vintage shops, Paris enjoyed its first snow of the season! We imagined Kaela probably peeing her pants with excitement as the white fluffy flakes fell while she was with her family on their last day in Paris. After walking around, we headed to the movie theater to see HP 7! It was spectacular. We tried to use our wizard spells and wand tricks to get us ready and out fast after the movie and it worked! After the first bar closed a little earlier than expected we moved on to a few other bars that hadn’t closed yet.
Saturday was the day I would meet the Eiffel Tower. To be honest, I didn’t think we would get along that well before I came to Paris, but when we finally shook hands (this was a little difficult) I was quite amazed by his beauty. Yes, I consider the Eiffel Tower a him because it really is breathtakingly handsome. Decorated with strong and sturdy steel, the Eiffel Tower proved to be an impressive icon. We couldn’t chat for long because apparently hundreds of people come to see him everyday. He was kind enough to let us take a few pictures and then led us on our way, ensuring we’d ‘probably see him again, even if it was from at a distance’.
He was right. I thought I wouldn’t be able to get away. For a while I was convinced he was following me, but by the time we got to the Christmas markets, he shrunk to the size of my thumb. We enjoyed some holiday cheer and splurged 10 Euro to ride the Ferris wheel. It was good company and a lovely view of the city. Later that night, we dined with the majority of the Paris crew at a delicious restaurant. After being full from my gnocchi and wine, Kaela and I headed home to chit chat and get a nights rest.
On Sunday, Kristina and I conquered the Louvre. Luck had our way and a nice man gave us his tickets as he was leaving and saved us 9.50 Euro to spend on bidding for the Mona Lisa. Apparently she’s not for sale, but seeing her smile up close and personal was pretty surreal. She’s also good at multitasking because even with 50 people standing around her, she’s able to keep eye contact with EVERY single one. No wonder they call her a masterpiece. After playing maze in the Louvre for a few hours, we walked to Notre Dame. Another French beauty I must say.
No better way to end my trip to Paris then the way it started: American food! Sunday night we munched on spicy wings and mozzarella sticks at Loyola’s favorite Canadian pub. We woke up Monday and flew back to the Dam for the last time. Tear.
Only three nights of peace and quiet until Brendan and Pat were invading Amsterdam. Mr. Ignozzi was nice enough to show them around a little on Thursday while I was suffering in class. He brought them to get some traditional Dutch food at Wok to Walk. After class, we reunited and I brought them to the Heineken Experience. After some thrilling beer drinking and good foosball fun, Pat was a little hungry for a sweet. . Full from pasta and baked goods, we called it a night.
After class on Friday morning, I cam back to the apartment and woke the boys up to get ready to go to Anne’s crib. Since Anne’s house is pretty much empty, I brought them to my favorite lunch restaurant, Singel. We devoured our oven baked flat breads and headed to the Huis. Since I have already toured the museum twice, I let them conquer this on their own. Unavoidably a little sad, we hopped back on a tram and as I headed home to finish some work, I let Brendan and Pat enjoy a few beers at the Sports Café. They came back here after, we all drank and made some toasts, met up with some other Loyola kids, and then for some reason headed out ahead of the crowd. Where did this bring us? WOK TO WALK. . We assumed Brendan must have been home or at least okay because he hadn’t bbmed us. After walking around the city and trying to follow the tram tracks home, he made it almost all the way here until he thought he was going the wrong way. He headed back toward the city center and made a pit stop in the Marriot Hotel, pretending that he was waiting for his friends to meet him there to check in. After chatting with the doormen etc. he somehow was given a warm cup of hot chocolate as he continued to lie to the generous employees of the Marriot. When they weren’t looking, he ran. Apparently slept for a little while on a random persons doormat and gave up and took a taxi home. When we asked him why he didn’t bbm us, he told us his phone was locked and the password was not his normal password, but rather the word password.
We all enjoyed a nice long sleep on Saturday. Finally around 1:30, the boys headed to see some art at the Van Gogh museum and I continued to sit in my sweats and do absolutely nothing. Jaclyn and I did make it to the grocery store around 4. We had a Taco Saturday and the weekend was winding down. After an early, miserable walk to the train on Sunday morning, I hugged the Irish folks goodbye and sent them on their way.
Time is winding down and I have 12 short days left in this country. 6 finals to go!
JB. PLEASE WRITE BACK.
