Cologne, Dusseldorf, Luxembourg, Brussels, Paris

Disclaimer: I wrote this on a bus after not getting enough sleep for an extended period of time. I'm choosing not to read back through it, so forgive me for any silly errors!

It has been so very long since I last blogged! So much has happened in the mean time. I will try to be too long winded, or this will end up being a novel.

A week ago Thursday I took the train to meet mom in Cologne. The cathedral there was AMAZING as I walked out of the train station. It honestly blew me away. I tagged along the last day of their trip in Cologne and I enjoyed it a great deal. It was pretty similar to what my group does on our field trips so it was neat to see the other side. Mom and I wandered around and made some schtooopid mistakes but had a wonderful time.

The next day we went to Düsseldorf and went to Schloss Benrath, which was beautiful. I had a few epic encounters with some Swans, and it was lovely. Mom and I bravely figured out how to take a regional train to the Düsseldorf Haputbanhof, and then the Metro to downtown. It sounds simply, right? Oh no. We asked at LEAST 10 people and were still confused. Then we wandered around Düsseldorf and just enjoyed each other’s company. Mom and I have a great time just hanging out, and it was so nice to be with my mom. She’s the best. It’s okay if you’re jealous.

I had a very sad train ride back to Freiberg, where I had Sunday to get organized for the next big field trip, which left at 5am Monday.

We bused to Luxembourg for lunch and a meeting at the EU Court of Justice. I can’t really tell you anything about Luxembourg cause we were literally there for… 3 hours tops.

Then we arrived in Brussels that night. I. love. Brussels. I honestly can’t remember how many days we spend there but it was amazing. I finally had free time to explore. We had some neat meetings at EU institutions and at NATO. But Brussels. Wow. I would rather not thinking about the calories I consumed in Fries, Chocolate, Beer and Waffles. Oh my. SO worth it, and unbelievably delicious. One evening we went to a bar that had over 2000 beers. I had three, Peach, Cherry, and Mango. The peach was the best. I had to get my fruits!! Everyone teased me…. But I was pleased with my choices. Hmm ooh the Grand Place was unbelievable. Just like the Cathedral in Cologne, it blew me away. Oh and the Mannequin Pis is there. A HUGE disappointment. It was probably smaller than my forearm. And I’m small.

We went to Paris three days ago. As much as a love Brussels, it doesn’t hold a candle to my feelings for Paris. It was a chaotic 3 days, as we crammed in Crepes, Macaroons, the Louve (Mona Lisa = huge disappointment. Oh and we’re now calling the Winged Victory the Original Butherface. Hahah. Clever. Get it? She doesn’t have a head?!), the Eiffel Tower (which Sparkles!!!!), The Arch de Triumph, Notre Dame, Versailles, the Champs Elysee, and so many other things. I think the pictures will better show all that we did.

Now, I’m sitting on the bus on our way back to Freiburg. Heartbreaking. I had such an amazing time in Paris. There was so much I wanted to do, but we just didn’t have time for. Like… the gardens

Meanwhile, I have become a serious tchochkey shopper. I have no idea how to spell that, but it’s like souvenirs. Caitlin is pretty serious about it so I look, but don’t buy very much.

So, I have so much to share and tell but I don’t want to bore anyone. So, I am open to requests…