I'll start foremost by saying that this spring break was the trip of a lifetime, beyond what I could've imagined. There were many times where I had to stop and remind myself that this really is my life, that it was all really, truly happening. There's too much to sum up in a blog, and most of it has to be experienced to be appreciated, so I'll try to keep this simple.
We left Cáceres early Friday morning (the 30th) and took a train to Madrid, and from there we took another train to Barcelona. Andrew G., Jess, and I took and earlier train to Barcelona, so we were able to spend all afternoon walking through the city and down to the harbor and the train station. Barcelona is a neat place, and I appreciated it a lot more this time (as opposed to when I spent a 100+ degree weekend there last summer). That night we took the overnight train to Paris. It was a 12+ hour train ride, and I was lucky enough to get one of the train hotel rooms, which I shared with three other women. A little awkard, but a comfortable way to spend the ride.
Our first day in Paris was awesome. Abby signed us up for a free walking tour, which was awesome. I loved seeing the city and learning all of the history at the same time. That night went went and drank wine on the lawn outside the Eiffel Tower. After sitting there awhile Taylor Anne, Christina, Andrew G., and I decided to climb up the tower. It was so worth every last step. The view from the top at night is amazing. When we came back down Luke and Abby were gone, along with our wine, so we bought some champagne and watched the light show that happens every hour. Right as the light show ended, a cop came up to us and started speaking to us in French. By the confused looks on our faces I think he could tell we didn't understand, so he asked us if we spoke English, to which ALL four of us simultaneously replied, "Sí!" It was hilarious, as was the look on his face. He was not very happy with us and went on in broken English for awhile about how we were doing something forbidden. I was pretty convinced that we were in trouble for drinking in public. But as it turns out, we were trespassing (along with a lot of other people), and weren't actually allowed to sit in the lawn of the Eiffel Tower. Oops! Totally worth breaking the law for, though :)
The next morning Abby and I decided to meet her brother and his friend and head out to Versailles for the day. Abby and I got to the meeting point at St. Michael Fountain a little early, and since it was freezing and windy we decided to have a cup of coffee. We found out afterwards that two cups of coffee cost 11.40 euros! Lesson learned, don't drink coffee outside of famous French monuments. Once her brother and his friend got there we took the train out to Versailles, which is bigger than I could've imagined, and unbelievably ornate, inside and out. When we got back into Paris we met up with Jess and Andrew S., at the Arc d' Triumph, where we ended up seeing some important official ceremony, complete with a band and everything. After that we walked down the Champs Elysees and through to the park area, enjoying some crepes along the way, before deciding to take the metro out to the Moulin Rouge and the Red Light District. Holy sex shops and forward men! Even with Jess and Andrew right next to me I got followed down the street, back up it, and into the metro a few stops by two creepers. Uff da. Anyways, just being down in that area was quite the experience. And we found a great little bar with live music that we sat and enjoyed for awhile too. Jess and I went on a walk that night after we got back to our hostel and got mistaken for a French couple by a sweet old man asking for directions, which we just had to laugh at.
The next morning we left Paris, taking the train through northern France and Belgium on our way to Amsterdam. We made a few stops at little towns, and we stopped in Antwerp, Belgium long enough to wonder a bit around the city and eat authentic Belgium waffles, which were delightful. The train rides all day were great, too. So much beautiful scenery! It was nice to be reminded that green grass and trees still exist (because they really don't in Spain). We got into Amsterdam that evening and, after finding our hostel, strolled the streets and found a place to eat kebabs, some of the greatest food known to man, as I've become convinced this semester. After that, Jess, Andrew S., and I went to a 'coffee shop,' where they don't actually sell coffee... we had a good time there until they closed, and then went back to the hostel to rest up for our main day in Amsterdam the next day.
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