Tuesday morning, all of the students and teaching staff gathered at our usual departure point: the bus stop by the Hofgarten. We boarded a "luxury" bus and departed on our week-long excursion to France. Honestly, going into it, I was skeptical of France. I assumed that people over-rated it, especially Paris, but I was still excited for a new country, culture, language, and adventure. After driving all morning, we arrived in the small border town of Colmar, France. Colmar is in a region that has gone back-and-forth from French to German control over the centuries, but the city has been a French possession since the end of the last World War. Colmar looks like a village out of a fairy tale or Disney movie. Small streams flow through the city, with picturesque wooden bridges connecting the cobblestone roads on each side. The houses are small, brightly colored, and built in what I have come to consider the "German style". We were released for lunch once we arrived, so Sebastian, Josh, Sid, and I went to a cheap bistro for hamburgers and fries - the cheapest meal I would enjoy in France. I would quickly learn that the prices in France are much higher than the rest of Europe, especially in Paris. We enjoyed our somewhat sketchy looking burgers (side note, I really miss American meet; Europeans cannot compete with a Texas steak) before heading to the small museum we had traveled to see. Dr. Wasser gave us a tour of the art museum, which culminated with the famous Isenheim Altarpiece, which was admittedly one of the most beautiful pieces of art I have ever seen. Unfortunately, we did not have much time to enjoy the city before having to leave...just enough to grab some macaroons.
Once back on the bus, we drove several more hours to the city of Beune. We entertained ourselves by napping, reading, and playing a strange form of Uno that Ana taught us (although the name was much less family friendly). We arrived in Beune pretty late, and then all the students grabbed dinner and tried some wine. After all, Beune is the capital of Burgundy, one of the most famous wine-producing regions in the world. I think it is safe to say everyone liked the wine, and several students bought bottles to take home. We returned to the hotel, where I worked on some homework pretty late, then stayed up talking with some of the other students. We regretted our decisions the next morning, however, when we had to wake up early for our tour of the Hotel Dieu, an ancient hospital built in the middle ages for the citizens of Beune by a ruling noble. Dr. Wasser gave another History of Medicine lecture during our tour, and afterwards we got back on the bus to begin the long trek to Paris.
We arrived in Paris that evening, and after dropping our bags off at the hotel we met our guide and headed to the famous Notre Dame cathedral. Like I said, I did not expect Paris to live up to the hype, but the Notre Dame was an excellent place to start to dispel that notion. I was amazed by the beauty of the cathedral, even if the crowds were ridiculous.
Having studied the Notre Dame in my (one and only) architecture class, I felt like I could appreciate the history and art behind the building, as well as the impressive visual effect it has on a visitor. We departed as the sun was setting for our group dinner at a local Parisian creperie where we enjoyed sweet and savory crepes for dinner. I much preferred the sweet. We were then released to return to the hotel. Despite my exhaustion, I made a short detour to get some boba tea since no one sells it in Bonn.
The next morning, our tour guide led us to the famous Palace of Versailles. The Palace was turned into the ostentatious site that it is by the French "Sun King" Louis the Fourteenth. Our tour led us through some of the most lavish and gaudy suites I have ever seen. Art was everywhere - walls, ceilings, hallways - and gold and silver seemed to be the go-to decoration.
After exiting the palace, we enjoyed a picnic in the gardens. Our guide had purchased for us baguettes, meats, and a variety of French cheeses. Wine and mousse were provided as well, and since the weather was absolutely perfect, we greatly enjoyed our picnic in the park. We finished with a Tai Chi session at Dr. Wasser's request and a short Pull Out day ceremony at mine.
After we left, we were allowed to explore the city. I chose to visit the Arc de Triumph and the Sacre Ceour, two of Paris' more famous landmarks. Once again, we had to learn to navigate a new public transportation system, which was made challenging by yet another new language. As I was gradually overcoming my bias and learning to love Paris, I was helped by the French language. Even though I could not understand a word, I loved how it sounded. Don't tell the Germans, but in this category, I think the French win. I developed a fondness for "Sacre Ceour", which sounded like a great way to express amazement.
After visiting the Sacre Ceour, we rushed back to the hotel to meet everyone else for our group dinner. The program treated us to a fancy Parisian dinner (courtesy of our funds I am sure, but it was still a nice treat). Once again, wine was a feature, another area the French seem to excel in. It was also one of the few times I have had seafood this semester, which is a personal favorite of mine. As soon as we had finished eating, most of us left to visit the Eiffel Tower at night. Although it was too late to go all the way to the top, we did get to take the elevators to the second deck and enjoy the view of Paris at night. Once again, my expectation of being disappointed was dispelled. The Eiffel Tower is every bit as beautiful and worth it as anyone has ever told you, especially at night. Once an hour on the hour, it lights up in a show of sparkles for around five minutes that enhances its beauty.
Unfortunately, the tower closes, so we had to leave. We returned to our hotel with the goal of resting up for a full day of walking around the city. The next morning, we departed the hotel early on a walking tour of Paris. Our guide, Julian, led us through the Jewish and Latin quarters, to the Luxembourg Gardens, past the Pantheon and St. Genevive's Cathedral, and past some of the many other landmarks and monuments in the city of Paris. One of the highlights, however, was when we discovered a Chipotle. Now, for anyone who does not know, my average BCC - Blood Chipotle Content - is usually four or five times higher than that of the average adult. I could eat Chipotle everyday for the rest of my life, no exaggeration, and going without it all semester is the second hardest thing about being in Europe (with not seeing family and friends slightly taking first). So naturally, despite being in Paris, a food Mecca, I HAD to eat Chipotle for lunch once I discovered it. And honestly, I have no regrets. Probably the best meal I have had in Europe, no lie.
After lunch, our group re-gathered and headed to the Louvre. Maybe I lacked an idea of how much the Louvre contained, but the museum is absolutely massive. It would take literal weeks to see everything on display in that museum. For us, though, our guide and Dr. Wasser had designed a special tour focusing on the history of medicine as well as some highlights. We saw some of the mummies, as well as alot of medially-relevant artwork. Our guide was also sure to include the da Vinci's such as the Mona Lisa (which IS something in Paris that is overrated). One of my favorite pieces was Lady Liberty leading the French to victory. I would have liked more time to see the displays, but we had to end our visit after four hours. We were then released to explore the city as the sun set. Ana, Madyson, and I explored one of the districts before returning to the Arc de Triumph and the Eiffel Tower for one last visit. I turned in early that night, bringing my French excursion to a close.
The next morning, Sean and I took a bus to Brussels, Belgium. This marked my ninth country and ninth capital to visit this semester (counting Scotland separate from the UK). My total European tally would be ten, counting my Italy-trip two years ago. Once in Brussels, the two of us toured a musical instruments museum. While I normally would not have done something like that, it was really interesting to learn about the development of instruments and music from ancient cultures to what we have today. Afterwards, we wandered the city with the goal of experiencing the most Belgian things of Belgium. After a brunch of Belgian waffles, we went to a bar called Delirium, which is famous for serving more types of beer than any other location in the world (upwards of 2,000). We sampled Belgian beer, and then enjoyed Belgian fries, which the Belgians insist were invented there, not France, despite the name "French" fries.
Shortly after, Sean returned to Bonn. I met up with Park and Yoong, who had just arrived in Brussels. We explored more of the city, including some cathedrals, before grabbing dinner and finding a bar to watch the Tottenham Hotspurs game (Park's favorite team, the same one we watched in Dortmund, Germany). That night I caught an overnight bus back to Bonn so that I could use my free Monday to rest and recuperate for another week of school. The France excursion was one of the semester highlights, and I was happy my initial attitudes were overturned. I guess it's important to go into these experiences with an open mind. I grew closer to many of my fellow students and have a greater appreciation of French and Belgian culture.
