Day 14: Free time in Paris.

It was our first day to sleep in, and I woke up at 10am to my friends all dressed and ready to go to the Louvre! Ah! I got ready in 5 minutes. We had a big group-Me, Nick, Cara, Nicole, Alexis, Manin, Drew, Tyler, and Alex.

First, we went to the tourist areas, aka the Mona Lisa. I was very hungry, dehydrated, and a bit tired. So masses of people pushing us around in tight spaces was not an ideal situation. Once I had food in me though, I went back to the Louvre with the boys and we went to the 2nd floor Renaissance section - and it was magnificent!! I couldn’t get over how intricate and detailed the art was considering it was from the 1400s! Like, how are all of these pieces of art in the Louvre still preserved?! (There are 18,000!!) 

There were stained glass windows, carvings, sculptures, and Eeormous paintings that were all SO incredible. I would love to go back someday because that place is freaking HUGE. I only saw 3 areas of the 15 + that are there! The location of the Louvre is magnificent with the Arc and Eiffel Tower within eye sight. It was breathtaking just standing there, doing a 360 degree spin just to absorb the scenery around me.

We headed back to the hotel to do our laundry at a laundromat, which was definitely an experience. Then the girls, Nick, Drew, and I met up with the rest of our trip at a bar called O'Sullivans that my tour guide recommended. It was literally right next door to Moulin Rouge, so I snapped that photo real quick.

The bar was quiet at first, minus the 40 of us EF people that were there. But I love going out in a big group on this tour because a lot of us get along so well, have a ball for ourselves, and love to dance and rage together!! I think most of us finally realized how much we love the people we are with here, and how lucky we are to be together experiencing Europe the way that we are!

But back to the bar….I didn’t last too long. At. All.

By the time I’d finished having a strawberry daquieri, an ABSYNTHE AND RED BULL (freaking 13 euros) AND a shot of Jaeger…I died. And I dont list my drinks to brag….I do it because no one in their right mind should ever mix all of these alcohols in a matter of two hours!! I’m a dumbass hahah.

I woke up having zero recollection of the night, except vomiting at the hotel. Thank god for the awesome people I’ve met here because I know they took good care of me. The next day I put pieces of my night together and saw a HILARIOUS video of me that Mike recorded in cab ride home. To sum it up, Krij was in rare form that night.

Obviously a crazy drinking night is bound to happen on this trip…I guess Absynthe is illegal in America for a reason…what a mess.

Oh well. Yolo!

Day 13: Paris - oh la la!

Our first day in Paris started off with a guided bus tour of the main attractions: Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Bastille, Arc de Triomphe Etoile, Lock bridges, and more things that I can’t pronounce (Not knowing a word of French was the most difficult part of Paris!). We were all falling asleep on the bus tour though, so our guide let us grab some coffee. Except the medium caffe latte is equivalent to a kiddie cup in America. -___- I guess I’m better off though not over indulging in caffeine.

I can’t get over how similar so many government buildings and tourist attractions are in Europe compared to the US. It’s kind of creepy. So far, London and France have the same design as us with their Supreme Court buildings - the front columns look exactly the same. France also has a monument that is a smaller version of the Washington Monument, and the residence of Ireland’s President is exactly the same as our White House! I love seeing these connections because it shows how much of a melting pot America is.

Afterwards my friends and I wandered around Paris all day. I got 3 scarves at a flea market for only 10 euros! This market also had the most luscious strawberries that were grown right here in France. We grabbed a quick lunch and ate baguettes and quiche for the millionth time this trip. It was so nice sitting on a ledge overlooking the Seine River that runs through Paris! Nick found a 20 euro bill on the ground out of nowhere! So we made him buy the 6 of us gelato :)

After taking tons of touristy pictures, we got back on the Metro to get ready for the dinner of a lifetime: for 45 euros we got transportation, a 3 course French meal, and unlimited wine!!

IT WAS AWESOME.

The restaurant was such a cute little place and I sat at a table with Cara, Meg, and Zoe. We got SO wine drunk. We were laughing histerically the whole time and dancing in the aisle to live music! The guitar player even tricked Meg into a kiss on the lips! Hilarious.

Then our tour guide took us to a nearby bar that had the nebula light going!! I felt at home in hollywoodz :) A bunch of us were dancing like crazy and it was soo much fun. I felt so safe and free - just being myself and living in the moment. This was definitely one of the greatest nights of the trip.

I love my life.

Day 12: Belgium to Paris!

We had breakfast in Amsterdam, lunch in Brussels, and dinner in Paris. Wow.

Before we got to Belgium for lunch, we stopped to visit one of the 3 remaining concentration camps from WWII. Even though this was one of the more solemn excursions of the trip, I still really enjoyed learning about it. The details of what happened at the camp were so nauseating to me - how could the human race allow for this treatment, how did some view it to be okay? 

I really hope humanity has taken a step forward from genocide and extreme discrimination. But then I think of Joseph Kony and even the way Americans are treating gays as a separate class in society. This is very unsettling to my optimistic and tree hugger soul.

Afterwards we got waffles and crepes in Brussels, and it was finally the first warm and sunny day of the trip! I almost forgot what sunshine felt like and the immediate happiness it brings me.

I bought some Belgium chocolate bars for my mom and family (hopefully she doesn’t read this post!) at a little shop in the city and the man behind the counter was so friendly! I got 5 big bars for 9.90 euros! A steal indeed. And when I left he said I had a beautiful smile. :) Little compliments like that always make me pause for a moment and think “what a nice thing for him to say.”

Keep smiling - Paris awaits!