The End

Germany lost that last game to Italy. It was a rather sad match actually. Drunk Germans are none too happy when Germany loses.

                Bright and early the next morning we were on our way to Belgium! We took a few trains to get to Brugges where we were picked up at the station by Emmanuel, one of the owners of the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at. They were very kind, the room was lovely and the area around the house was beautiful. It had woods, rope swings, a pond, various animals, and a garden. It was really nice to get out of the city for a while. We borrowed bikes from the owners and rode into the village to get dinner and relax. The next day we biked into Brugges itself and spent the morning wandering around shopping and seeing sites. It has adorable houses, old buildings, and a few pretty little canals. Then it was back to the train station to head to Paris.

                Due to a multitude of complications and unhelpful people we didn’t all find ourselves together at our hostel until about 10 that night. After taking a breather from a stressful day we headed out to see Notre Dame at night. It was lit up and fantastic. It’s hard to believe it’s real. Then we saw a troupe of performers of some sort who juggled and played with fire and hula-hooped and whatnot. They were pretty entertaining. Upon getting a little cold outside we headed to a nearby club that a friend had recommended called The Long Hop. It was a nice place and we met a few friendly people there so the night ended well. The next morning we got an early start to tour the city. We hit all of the high points pretty quickly (Louvre, Arc du Triumphe, Eiffel Tower) mostly because we only looked at them as the lines to enter/climb to the top of each one was insane and we didn’t have that much time. But still, to see things you’ve heard of and only seen pictures of your whole life is pretty unbelievable. Our walk lead us up the Champs Elysee which was exciting and by 1 o’clock we were sitting outside at a café eating French onion soup, quiche, steak, French fries, and escargot. It was delicious. We strolled around some more, bought a few souvenirs and took a nap by the Seine. Then we walked along the never ending row of street venders selling every imaginable item including magazines from the 60s and 70s for some unknown reason. Finally we ended the day back at Notre Dame and got some delicious crepes. Soon we were on our way back to Berlin on the night train were we each got into our bunks and passed out for the vast majority of the 14 hour train ride. It was a crazy and unusual trip but worth it I think.

(Notre Dame)

(love locks <3)

(daytime Notre Dame)

(The Louvre)

(Arc Du Triumphe)

(Eiffel Tower)

(River Seine)

                We have but one more day of class which will probably involve climbing the TV tower in Alexander Platz and a last round of eating at favorite places, buying last minute souvenirs, and packing for the plane ride back to the US. It’s been a pretty great month but I’m ready to be back in the United States for a little while. :)

7/2/12