Friday I went to a district-wide meeting for all the Information Specialists (IS) and Educational Technologists (ET), which was held in Kaiserslautern. After the meeting, my teacher and the Wetzel ET killed a bit of time before I met my travel buddies at 4:30 for the bus departure. Our bus departed from the gas station at Ramstein Air Base. We arrived at 4:30 but my travelmates were nowhere to be found. Finally I saw Jenna, Quintin, and Al getting out of a taxi.... Terry had been in a little fender bender. She backed into a German at the Ramstein gate. The military police came and took care of things quickly, but the man she hit wanted to call the German police, so that took a long time. She sent my friends in a taxi so they wouldn't miss our bus departure at 5. Terry was trying to find an ICE train to Paris (these are the really fast trains) for the next morning so she could meet us on our tour.
So off we went on a five-hour bus ride to Paris. The bus was full of military families, a few couples, and a few other random people. It was a great group of people to travel with. Our tourguide, Stefan, was great too. He was an enjoyable person; I'd love to do another one of his tours.
We arrived in Paris around 10:30 p.m. or so. We checked in and went to our rooms, which were very nice. Quintin and I met each other at the bar for a couple glasses of wine. It was a nice end to the day.
The next morning I was able to partake in a French breakfast... yum! Pain au chocolat (chocolate pastry), fromage blanc (a bitter yogurt type thing you eat with sugar on it), fresh meats, cheeses, breads, croissants. I love French food and I love their breakfast foods.
We departed at 8 to go sight-seeing. We hit so many places; it was a long day of touring..... and in the rain. We saw some important buildings, walked through the Luxembourg Gardens, went to an old church called Saint-Sulpice which was once associated with a university, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Opera House, Fragonard Perfume Museum, inside of a mall with an incredible stained glass dome, the Arc of Triumph (Napoleon's monument) on the Champs Elysees (most famous and wide boulevard), the Eiffel Tower, and the Dome des Invalides (Napoleon's tomb).
These sites are beautiful. All of Paris is beautiful. Before leaving for this trip, I was a little nervous to go to a city I've already been to (two years ago), but I was pleasantly proved wrong. I was able to go into places or see places I didn't see the first time. For instance, when I was in Paris two years ago, I wasn't able to go into Notre Dame. This time, I was in there for about an hour. Another plus, was that the places were somewhat familiar. I was looking at them with different eyes. I also didn't have my camera to my face the entire time. I was able to just observe and enjoy more.
Terry took the ICE train to Paris and arrived at 10 a.m. She tried to meet us at the Paris Opera House, but our tour was running behind, so she just took a cab to the hotel after waiting for us for an hour in the rain. So then she tried to meet us at the Eiffel Tour at 1:30 when we took the elevator up to level two. She didn't find us there either! Poor lady. So we did get to see her once we got back to the hotel.
After a break for resting and showering at the hotel, we left for a French dinner at Le Vauban. It was incredible. Apparently, tourists do not usually eat there, so we were eating an authentic French meal with the locals. I chose the onion soup for my appetizer. Best I've ever had. For my main course I had the beef cooked for three hours in a red wine sauce. It also, was incredible. For dessert, I had the ice cream. It was all fabulous with white and red house wine.
Once dinner was over, we went on the Seine River night cruise to see Paris illuminated at night. Stefan had bottles of champagne for us, so we drank some of that on the bus and on the cruise. It was magical. The rain had finally stopped during dinner, so most of the cruise was rain-free. We made friends with the people who had been sitting near us on the bus. It was very fun. Best night yet. Paris is beautiful and there is always something new to discover about it. At night, it is very beautiful. There were beautiful sites to see and wonderful company to enjoy it with. I love Paris.
When we got back to the hotel, a few of us (new and "old" friends) and Stefan had a nightcap together at the bar in the hotel. It was very fun to talk to new people. It was a great day and a great evening. I was in love with Paris and did not want to leave.
The next morning I enjoyed another French breakfast before departing at 8 for Versailles, which is about a 30 minute drive out of Paris. Versailles was built by Louis XIV, the Sun King. It is massive, beautiful, and elaborate. There is real gold on so many surfaces of the outside. We were able to tour the inside to see the Royal Apartments. There is also a science museum in Versailles. A lot of scientific progress took place at Versailles. There are a lot of artifacts in that museum.
The gardens at Versailles are huge and gorgeous. I can't imagine seeing the gardens in the spring and summer. Jenna and I ventured around out there for the last 45 minutes or so we were there. Also, it was rain-free that day!
We went back into Paris, leaving around 11 a.m. We went to the Louvre. That museum is amazing. There are four different wings, each with four floors. The Louvre used to be the palace for the kings and queens of France. Each time a new king was coronated, he would add something to the palace, such as building on another wing. So the Louvre is huge now (and really confusing to find where you want to go) and is filled with artifacts and pieces of art from all over the world throughout history. I spent most of my time in the Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, and Near East galleries. I also popped upstairs to see the Mona Lisa from a distance. I didn't stand in the long line to get up closer to it. The Louvre is amazing.
Quintin and I were interested in similar things, so we saw a lot of stuff in the Louvre together, so then we ate some lunch at the Louvre. We met our group at 2:45 so we could depart for home. The bus ride back to Germany was not bad, but it did start raining and snowing. When we got back to Kaiserslautern, we had to get a taxi to the train station where Terry's car was parked. There was quite a bit of snow.
It should've taken us only about 30-40 minutes to get home, but instead it took us two hours. The roads were awful and Terry has poor night vision, so she asked Quintin to drive after a while. We finally got to the Baumholder exit, but had to turn around. Big trucks were parked with flares turning people around. The road up the hill was complete ice. He told us what exit to go to so we could then get to Baumholder. We got there, then our GPS we were using turned us around and took us back to the Baumholder road. When we got back there, the truck was gone, but a few cars were stopped on the road because they couldn't get up the hill. It was so scary. The roads were bad, it was so dark, I was so tired, so hungry, and smashed in the middle of the back seat. We watched as other cars got up the hill, so Quintin tried it. We made it perfectly fine. Quintin drove very well and very safely. He did a good job. Once we got up that hill, we were at the base. I've never been so glad to get back to Baumholder.
There were some downsides to the weekend, but overall it was awesome. Paris is so magical and beautiful. This was my favorite weekend yet. I feel like I am fully adjusted to being here now, so that is an awesome feeling. I am completely adjusted to the time. I was over jet-lag after a couple of weeks, but was still always very aware of what time it was in Indiana. Now, I am completely on Germany time. Everything is so exciting here. Each weekend is amazing. They get better and better. I love it.
It will be so strange to go back home. I'm nervous about it. I miss my family and my friends a lot. I often think of certain people who I wish could be with me when I visit some place that I know they would love. But I'm here. Alone. With new friends-->a little family. I've heard that when you go back home from being abroad, you experience reverse culture shock. Everything at home is usually exactly the same, your family and friends have been doing their regular-life activities. But you have seen so much, traveled so much, learned so much, grown as a person, and probably have changed some. I am nervous.
There is no way, though, that I could move here forever. I don't really get too homesick here because I know that I'm only here until May. I'll be going home and staying. If I completely moved here and wasn't sure when I'd go home next for a short visit only, I'd be very sad. I love my family and my friends too much to move overseas. There are pluses to living here, such as the convenience of travel (and the amazing pay and benefits from working for the government at DoDDs schools), but I find the people in my life more important. I can be a bit of a sap.
Anyhow, I'm more adjusted here and am loving it. I look forward to the weekends and love my weeks at school. But like I said, I'm nervous to come home where everything is the same and weekends won't be filled with traveling to Paris, traveling to Munich, traveling to...etc etc.
I didn't know you were writing a blog too! I can feel your excitement for the adventures and your love for Paris. Soak it all in. It'll be with you for your entire life! Glad I could come along for the ride.
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