DAY ONE
March 19, 2017
We arrived in Paris at 7:10 am (1:10 am CST) and from there we didn't get a lot of downtime. Going through customs at the airport was the worst part of the morning. We stood in a people packed line for an hour just to get the passports stamped. A shuttle picked us up and we soon realized Europeans are very aggressive drivers. From the airport to the hotel, we saw the Arc de Triumph, the Eiffel Tower, and Montmartre. We left our bags at Hotel Malar then went straight to the Eiffel Tower. That thing is huge, but what impressed me the most, the intricate architecture of the tower, it's miraculous. We also got some amazing pictures of the Tower from the museum across the street. In early afternoon we finally got a short break, then we went right back out again with a boat ride on the Seine River through the city. We saw, Notre Dame, The Louvre, and once again the Eiffel Tower. Then we went through the metro to get to the "Welcome Reception." The metro is a lot like the NYC subway system. But we ended up making a wrong move every time we used it. So, we got lost a few times. The other part that made this day a little more troublesome, was the weather. IT WAS SO COLD ALL DAY LONG! But despite all the mishaps, there is not much to complain about when you're in Paris. I tried three different breads/pastries today that were a little different from what I've had in America. The first, chocolate chip bread. 10 o'clock in the morning, freshly baked loaf the size of my face. This is by far my favorite so far. Second was a large roll like pastry but flattened and coated with caramelized sugar coating. And lastly, raisin bread, funny I still hate raisins. My last thought for Sunday, is the people here are different than I expected. Some are very rude but some are overly excited to help. Discovering all of these new things is fun and I can't wait to see what the rest of the week brings.
DAY TWO
March 20, 2017
Today I woke up to no wallet in my purse, no cash or cards for me to use. We quickly called home and closed the cards. Although that was heart breaking and stressful, I decided to make the most out of the situation. After Prof. Stover and I got done triple checking the room for the wallet we walked down to a bakery I had never been to. I tried my first Parisian croissant and it was everything I hoped for and more, buttery and flaky, much better than the over-priced ones I get at Starbucks! We had two speakers in the morning. Then we went to lunch at UNESCO, a media correspondent for the world. They are changing an exhibit right now so it is not open to the public, that made our tour a little more awesome. In the evening we went to Lee and Berna Huebner's (the hosts) house and heard from a free-lance journalists that has worked for Vogue, NY Times, and Glamour! After dinner we walked to the Arc, it is so much bigger than I expected, so much detail. We then walked down The Avenue des Champs-Élysées. We walked across the most beautiful bridge in Paris (in my opinion). While we were walking across the bridge we got to see the lights of the Eiffel Tower flicker giving the Tower a sparkling effect. Tonight made me realize that Paris is even more beautiful at night.
DAY THREE
March 21, 2017
We got to sleep in today!!! I walked down to the market while Reilly was sleeping and got us a big loaf of chocolate bread. It felt so nice to just walk in the streets of Paris with no huge group with me. For this short amount of time I didn't feel like such a tourists. It was so peaceful and nice to feel like I belonged in Paris. We had two seminars around noon, nothing special. Then we walked to The Avenue des Champs-Élysées and walked around the high-end fashion district and eventually ate at Five Guys, yes I said Five Guys Burgers & Fries! How American. After that we went to Lee and Berna's house for a perfume workshop, it was pretty interesting to learn about perfumes from early France and America. After that was my favorite, we walked to the Eiffel Tower and went all the way to the top... AT NIGHT! The experience was so humbling, a reminder of how small we really are. Reilly and I spent a lot of time just staring out at the city, it was cold, but it was worth it. Once we decided we were ready to go back down, Prof. Stover asked if we wanted to take the stairs "It's only like 200 stairs" so of course a few of us said yes. We started making our way down the stairs we realized very quickly that she made them seem like there were a lot less. "Okay so maybe there isn't 200 maybe more like 700!" Although it was a lot of stairs we all laughed a lot in the process and got some really interesting views of the city. Once we were done there, we came back to the hotel. After a few minutes of being in our rooms, we heard noises from the courtyard outside our window. Arelli and Jordan were out there so Reilly and I joined. Eventually a few others joined including Derrick and Prof. Stover. We sat around and reflected on the day and relaxed for awhile. It was truly an amazing day.
DAY FOUR
March 22, 2017
Today was not a super eventful day, we had a few seminars, then saw Montmartre, went souvenir shopping, and walked to see Moulin Rouge. For me today was the day I realized what truly amazing people I get to share this journey and experience with. Obviously I lost my wallet two days ago, but Reilly and Prof. Stover have allowed me to put all my worries behind and truly enjoy the trip. In just a few days I have formed a closer friendship with Reilly, which is amazing to get to do in Paris! Also I have come to have so much respect and admiration for Prof. Stover, she truly cares so much about all of us students and really goes above and beyond to make sure I am experiencing everything fully. This trip would truly be nothing without this group. Tonight, at the end of the night we hung out in the lobby once again and tried a few different snacks that are famous in France. Those moments when we all let lose and can laugh and discuss have really become my favorite parts of this trip.
DAY FIVE
March 23, 2017
Today, we woke up early to go to mass at Notre Dame. I was actually surprised it wasn't super extravagant, but that probably changes on Sundays. The church itself has the most amazing architecture, it really blew me away. We also went to a museum that had a few Van Gogh's and other historically famous paintings. It was neat but not really in my interests. We did have a fashion journalist talk to us and I actually really enjoyed that. But once again we ended the evening trying different foods in the lobby, which as usual turned out to be my favorite part. I love the comradery of this group, we all like to learn more from each other and I think that's really special. We talked a lot about languages tonight. From Prof. Stover, she talked to us in Bulgarian, from Satoko; Japanese, and from Derrick; German. It was really fun, these moments also make me appreciate everything we have experienced here together a little bit more.
DAY SIX
March 24, 2017
We started out the day with four seminars, it lasted from 9am-3pm. Even though it was by far the longest day it was my favorite. We started out with Peter Barnet, a guy who has been in the marketing business for years. He talked about how technology has really changed the control in the retail industry. He really had me engaged and got me even more excited about the career that I have chosen. Then a man from the embassy talked to us, a "fashion" news writer, and a photojournalists that got to cover a lot of significant events in history including the fall of the Berlin Wall. For the evening we got to go to the Louvre (biggest museum in the world) for 4 hours and explore. I ended up following Prof. Stover around and taking pictures for her while listening to her read about everything we were seeing. Although it was an exhausting day I truly did learn a lot of information about history and art.
DAY SEVEN
March 25, 2017
Today was an interesting day to say the least. We actually got to sleep in a little bit (8:30). Then we rode the train to Versailles. We ended up waiting in line to get in the Palace for 2 hours, that ended up being my favorite part. We stood there and talked and got to know each other even better than we already did. When we got done in the Palace and gardens we went back to a little strip of shops and restaurants and had McDonalds and shopped a little more. From there we got back on the train and Prof. Stover and I dropped the rest of the group off and we headed to Pompidou (modern art museum). She took me to a few extra places and taught me more about the city. We had a really fun time just exploring, she even took me through a flower market. A market that just sells flowers and gardening things, it was super cute and pretty. We finally got to Pompidou and as soon as we got to the top of the building it was right in time for the sun to set. We got amazing pictures of the sun setting behind the Eiffel Tower and of the sky all the different colors. The art we got to see was spectacular, we even got to see a few Andy Warhol pieces! After the museum we got some Gyros at a little shop around the corner. We then headed back to the hotel. Once we got there, Carney had an announcement, her and Noah got engaged!!!! That made this trip so much more special. I truly loved this experience.