On the small town of Chester

It just so worked out that Kelsey and I had to leave at the same time (me for a train to Chester and her for the US). So I heaved my backpack on my shoulders and she lugged her luggage out the door and we were on our way. She got to the airport no problem, and I had no issues with my train. It was a three hour train ride, so I had a whole plan of how I was going to use my time super wisely... but I was tired, so I slept. I was meeting up with my Norwegian friend, Christopher (I met him in Budapest this past summer), and I asked him how we would find each other when I got to Chester. He said that he would just see me at the train station. (He goes to school in Manchester, so he just took a bus over to Chester!) I was skeptical of this plan, but it worked! And now I understand why: the Chester train station is tiny and there is only one place for every one to come out of, and there he was waiting for me! 

I had the address for my hostel, but that was it. Julia and Christopher's friends that he was traveling with this past summer laughed, I'm sure, when they thought of Christopher and I meeting up and trying to find anything. We were definitely the two least helpful people in Budapest when it came to directions. But we found our way, he with his google maps and me with my actual map. Google maps was more helpful.

After I got my huge backpack dropped off, we headed to the humongous Chester Zoo. (We took a taxi, of course, because he is too high maintenance to take bus...) At like 2pm, I finally had my first food since the fish and chips the day before... and by food I mean a "flap jack" aka a granola bar. My stomach was still not ready for a full meal. Christopher scared me when we were searching for the lions. The bats scared him when we walked through the bat house. Like literally, he made us leave because he was terrified. So funny.

We then had a taxi, of course, take us to a castle... that was closed, so then we wandered about town and found all sorts of cool things!

Ruined Roman Amphitheater

Chapel ruins

It's one of those days where there is not much to tell because everything went so well! We made our way to dinner so that I could finally have a real meal!

After dinner, we checked out the Cathedral and wall walks before he had to head back to his megabus - which was so much easier than the one that I took to Paris!

I got back to the hostel only to remember that I had absolutely nothing planned for the rest of my trip, including the next morning. Like, I knew I wanted to head towards Wales, but that was about it. My plan was to stay in Wales the following night, but as I did research, I realized that the town that I was going to was even smaller than I realized and it only had one hostel that was completely booked. I looked at hotels, but there was absolutely nothing that was close to the town that was even close to worth paying for.

Let's just say I did research from 9:30pm until 1:30am and I had only actually accomplished one thing. I had decided I was just ready to get to Ireland, so I booked the following night for Dublin. I didn't give up on Wales, though. I had a plan. Buy a train ticket to Conwy, Wales at the station in the morning, and then after a few hours there, go to Holyhead, and from Holyhead take a ferry to Ireland. It sounds like it's not really a plan, but I did have all of the times and everything I wanted planned out... so the next post will tell ya if ANY of this worked :)

London

My flight from Eindhoven left at 8:00am. This meant I had to leave my hostel by 5:10 to get the 5:45 bus from the train station. Which, of course, meant that I left at 5:30. Here's what I did though. I tricked myself into thinking that I had to leave that early, so that I would still get out of the door with plenty of time. I (secretly) knew that I would be OK with the the next two buses after that. I had a twenty minute walk to the train station, and I'm not gonna lie, I think for the first time this trip, I was a little bit concerned. As I walked alone with my huge backpack and map open in my hands there was not another soul out and about. I saw one person on my entire walk, which is more scary than seeing several.

Wearing two scarves because I didn't have room in my bag for either of them... I was super warm!

Empty.

Bus station - Empty.

I made it to the airport without a problem though and even snuck my huge backpack on as a carryon! I was supposed to check it, but since the flights are so cheap - only $20 to London - they charge double just to check a bag. I did not give in to this bullying, and I came out on top. 

After obnoxiously being the person that holds up the line by taking FOREVER to make their bag fit in the overhead bin, I settled in for a 40 minute hop across the English Channel. And then I was that same person again as I barely avoided hitting several people as I pulled it down.

When I entered the London airport, I realized something that I had overlooked... customs. The line for the EU citizens was much longer than the non-citizens line, so I was grateful in that moment that I was not a citizen... That sentiment quickly faded when their line disappeared completely, and an hour later, I was still standing in a short line.

After no sleep and standing in a daze in line, I stumbled into the madness of figuring out how to get to the city center of London. There was no information booth to help me know which way was best. So I wandered from booth to booth, trying to decipher whether train or bus or whatever else I was being offered would, both budget wise and time wise, be the best way. After deciding that bus was definitely not the way to go, I was somehow convinced by the most sketchy bus company that I should buy a ticket from them because their bus was leaving in 5 min and would take me straight to Victoria station (just a short walk from where I was staying).

Well the next bus did indeed leave in 5 minutes. And believe it or not, I was there in time for it. There was just about 50 other people that were in line ahead of me. Oh yeah, and the bus was already full. And the next one wasn't coming for another 30 minutes. And there was no guarantee that I would make it on. At this point, it was 9:30 and I had told Kelsey that I would meet her at 10:00... And I had an hour and a half bus ride that I was still in line for. Optimism strikes out again.

As the next bus rolled up, everyone held their breath and crossed their fingers, hoping against all odds that there would be a seat awaiting them. The line moved forward, and with three people ahead of me, he pulled down the rope in front of us. And told us to wait. After a very long five minutes, he said that there was room for five more. I was number four. Oh happy day.

After dozing off for a bit, I woke up to see Big Ben across the river. LONDON, BABY. After going the opposite direction than I was supposed to go, I mentally stepped into my map and was reunited with Kelsey, who welcomed me with open arms. We then headed to Borough Market.

I love meeting up with people while traveling because you get to recount stories in a way that no one else will ever hear. All of our failures and triumphs as solo travelers for a day were fresh in our mind... So I would definitely say that the story-telling from both sides was on point.

Borough market, in my opinion, is the best place to eat lunch in London. There are so many options of food, all fresh and inexpensive. We settled on some €5 Italian dishes. (It also helps that samples are offered from all around.) We also got some mulled wine (heated up with spices - tastes similar to a hot cider, but better!).

Westminster Abbey was the next stop. Now, paying €18 for Westminster Abbey (and that's with the student discount!) was a bit spirit-dampening, but the moment we stepped into the nave, it was all worth it. The history of this church is more fascinating to me than any other. Westminster Abbey is the burial ground for over 3,000 people, including Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Henry VIII and so, so many more. Listening to stories of their conquests and accomplishments, while gazing at their magnificent tombstones and epitaphs is the best option for any history buff, like myself, on a cold winter's day in London.

Now, I have been to London before, about four years ago. I remember being enamored with this city, and I was interested in seeing if I would still feel that way after being all across the continent of Europe. The answer is, yes, I feel exactly the same way towards London. It has the right combination of a deep, spectacular history, combined with a familiar, "I could live here" feel... At least for me.

London - 2011

London - 2015

We then headed across Westminster Bridge for what Rick Steves describes as the "wow, I'm really in London" feeling. It has a gorgeous view of the Thames, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and much more. We asked how long the line for the Eye was. The reply was "two hours." We started backing away, all interest immediately lost. But he yelled out a "just kidding!" We only actually had to wait for ten minutes. While overpriced, the views were quite exquisite.

I love traveling with Kelsey. We take turns navigating, and the only time we got lost (for about 3 minutes) we simply asked two guys standing outside of a bar which way to go, and they sent us on our way, after, of course, trying to coax us into the bar they were at instead.

We went to a (Rick Steves' recommended) pub for dinner and were not disappointed. When we asked what kind of English beer we should try, the bartender brought out 8 different kinds for us to try, so that we could decide for ourselves! He may have ended up being a bit too helpful though. Right when we were trying to leave he decided to give us a 15 minute description of everything we should do the next day... Which was sweet, but we already had our itinerary planned.

Day 2 in London began with breakfast at the hostel and then a tube ride over to the magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral. While Westminster Abbey's history is unmatched, St. Paul's has its own kind of history that makes it fascinating. Listening to how Christopher Wren designed the domes is remarkable. Another favorite of mine is listening to how, during WWII, about 30 men would watch over St. Paul's. They would extinguish incendiary bombs as soon as they were dropped. While all the area surrounding St. Paul's was flattened, the cathedral remained and is a constant symbol of resilience and hope.

At the top of St. Paul's Cathedral.

We grabbed lunch at a pub right next to Borough market, where I finally had an entire meal of fish and chips! Phil and Julia constantly got this the last time we were in the UK, but I refused. I thought that when I wrote this post, I would be saying how pleasantly surprised I was by this meal. Instead, I am here to tell you that I experienced waves of nausea for the next 24 hours. Never again.

The Tower of London was the next stop. We missed the last tour by about 15 minutes, but I think that we gave ourselves a grand tour. The crown jewels were as jaw-dropping and sparkly as ever. And the history. From the 11th century all the way up until WWI, people were tortured and hung here. We read of so many incredible stories of deception and betrayal.

We then took a lovely cruise down the Thames as the sun set, and took a stroll through the park to see Buckingham Palace. We then went to a lovely bar for dinner (that used to be a bank) where I couldn't eat because of the cursed fish and chips that I had at lunch. Once we got back to the hostel, I realized I also had a fever. I curled up in bed and watched Kelsey pack, knowing that I had to do the same thing. I then booked a train for the next morning (should have done that before, I know) and a hostel for the next night. Very on the fly. We then watched "Sherlock" in honor of London, and I finally worked up the strength to pack. Kelsey drugged me up and I had a fitful time alternately sleeping and cursing the fish and chips all night long.

On my first day alone.

I ventured out Thursday morning, sad to leave everyone, but so ready to go off on my own and finally gather my thoughts. For being an extrovert, I sure enjoy my time away from other people. I think that it is necessary for survival.

On my way out the door, Susan Young, friends with my Uncle Cal and Aunt Edie in Japan, grabbed me and asked me if I "want a beer, ya know, for the train?" I replied with a "why not!" She grinned and said, "You can always count on the Cummings!" I walked out of the Zav center, feeling proud that I had upheld our good name.

Once I arrived in Delft, I was too cold/lazy to take out my iPad and figure out where I was going, so I saw a steeple and headed for it. It is hard to walk briskly when you are constantly stopping to take pictures of every canal and bridge. The snow that layered the ground multiplied the beauty... Added to the cold too. Before I knew it, I stumbled upon market square and found a cozy cafe to grab a cappuccino and orient myself to this quaint, Dutch town. When arriving somewhere new, by yourself AND in the winter, I would definitely recommend (if you have time) to sit in a corner by the window and plan/people watch.

Not wanting to leave, but knowing there was so much to see, I headed to the market and was so overwhelmed that I walked through and made a mental note of all of the things that I wanted to buy for people. I technically didn't have extra room... But I bought some pretty cool souvenirs and figured I would worry about where to put everything later. I then headed to the new church in the square (the new churches are never "new" in Europe). This is where William of Orange, who led the Dutch to Independence, and many others in the Royal house of Orange are buried.

I slowly made my way to the old church, which has a leaning steeple because of the not-so-sturdy foundation - it is, after all, built basically on top of the canal. With my student discount, I got a combined ticket for both churches for €2.50... let's just say when you read about London, the things we go to see cost a bit more than that.

Note the leaning steeple!

After wandering through the canals a bit more, I decided it was about time for lunch, so I stopped in a place right next to the church, and boy, what I pleasant surprise it is when you pick a fantastic pub at random! They had Belgian beer, which made me happier than I can even describe to you. I also ordered one of the most amazing paninis I have ever had - goat cheese, tomato pesto and bacon. My mouth is watering just writing the ingredients down. I caught up (or tried to catch up) on blogging here, ordered another beer, and just relaxed, not only not wanting to leave Delft, but not wanting to leave this awesome pub, with the cutest, sweetest bartender ever.

Eventually I left, not giving myself nearly enough time to get to the Delft museum that I was planning on going to next. It didn't help that I had absolutely no idea where I was going. Rick Steves had mentioned that it would be difficult to find the Delft manufacture museum... did I listen? No. Delft is so small. I was so happy. I wandered in what I figured could only be the right direction. I paused every 10 seconds or so to snap another picture of the beautiful canals. As if I didn't have enough pictures already. I was just in one of those moods, where I knew nothing could go wrong, so I glanced at my map, but didn't really try to understand it. After "searching" like this for about thirty minutes, even I knew there was no way I was going to find it. This didn't phase me one bit.

I remembered seeing a really good shopping street, so I figured why not wander in that direction? Remember that time when I bought souvenirs for other people even when I didn't have room in my luggage? Well, I figured if I was going to make those things fit, then why not make room for some new clothes for myself? So, I made H&M my home for the next hour.

Another thing that I have realized about traveling alone... I spend a lot more money. When I'm traveling with Julia, we don't need to shop or eat great meals all the time, or travel in the most convenient way to have a fantastic time. We have each other. Well, when I'm alone, eating a sandwich by myself on a train, just sounds awful. When it's Julia and I, dipping our fingers into our Nutella jar and trying to spread it on our crackers without utensils - it's fun. No one wants to go through such things alone. So, I eat out for every meal, and I shop and I buy beer... and chat extensively with bartenders when I get the chance. And it almost replaces Julia. Almost ;)

With that being said, I actually did eat by myself on the train on my way to Eindhoven that night. That was Dutch cheese though. Which, obviously, is a whole different story.

On my way out of Delft, I stopped in Rotterdam to pick up my bag that I had checked for the day. I figured maybe I'd explore Rotterdam for a bit before heading to Eindhoven, where I was staying for the night and flying out of the next morning. I walked outside, walked around the block and walked back into the train station. "Why?" you might ask. IT WAS SO COLD. I even bought Starbucks to prepare myself... it didn't do the trick. It is one thing to be cold when in Delft when every way I turn my breath is taken away. Rotterdam didn't have the same effect. Granted, I only got within one block of the train station. But, in my defense, Rick Steves didn't have anything written on Rotterdam, so I had absolutely no direction.

So, this is where it gets embarressing... You'd think that by this time I'd be a pretty smart traveler. Well, I am. But I had a really weird and confusing moment. I was walking toward my train out of Rotterdam and this British guy came up to me. He said something about only having pounds and needing change in euros to get a train home. In my mind, I was like, "Oh, he'll give me pounds and I'll give him euros, this is perfect!" Well, I didn't realize until I pulled out five euros that he wasn't going to give me anything in exchange. And then he said, "Don't worry, I'm not trying to take your wallet or anything." And that is when I realized that I had fallen for the oldest trick in the book. The "I need to get home" trick. When counting up for my expenses that day I wrote "5 euros - random man." Not something that I was ever planning on having to write.

I had prepared myself as much as possible for my arrival in Eindhoven. I had all my bus options and walking directions from the bus station. I forgot one simple thing. You have to press the "stop" button in order to get off at the right station. So, I got off at the wrong stop. Here's something else that I've learned about myself... I don't know if I mentioned this or not before, but apparently I talk to myself when I'm lost. I kept catching myself talking myself through everything I was doing. These are the only moments when I'm glad that I'm walking the streets alone.

Whether it was divine providence or my newly found sense of direction, I found my hostel! Maps make sense to me now... It is the most amazing feeling in the world. I looked down at my map and realized that the hostel should be about 100 meters behind me... so I walked back to where I had just come from. Like a beacon in the night, I saw a banner with a backpacker on it. The silly grin that overcame my face the moment I saw that banner probably didn't disappear until two hours later.

I love all of the people I meet while traveling. I just end up having so many conversations with the most fascinating people. For example, one of the girls in my hostel was telling me all about how she was in Cairo, Egypt (traveling alone) when there was a terrorist attack and she was told that if she didn't leave right away she might never make it out. This was her reasoning for only traveling alone in Europe now. Duly noted.

On endings and beginnings.

It is so strange that we've been here for only a month. It seems like ages ago that Lucas, the manager at the Zav center, led me onto the sketchy lift that he admitted was not legally an elevator since it didn't have a door. And now here we are, unfazed by the lift that we use every time we are on dish duty and need to take the cart of dishes down to the kitchen.

Sunday morning we woke up for church - still utterly exhausted from our weekend excursion. Still in a haze, I don't think it hit us that it was the beginning of our final week in Belgium. Kelsey, Amy and I had a wonderful lunch in Brussels and then headed back to Zaventem, hoping to recuperate. After about an hour, one of the couples in our church group invited Amy and I to dinner with them, so off we went for some traditional Belgian stew and Chimay beer. They're moving to London after the training in Belgium, so they had some great tips on London! From what I remember, Sunday night I collapsed, tired, sick and full from a wonderful meal.

On Monday, it started to hit everyone that our time was coming to an end. But the first thing we realized that day was that we only had to watch the kids until 12:30... What a relief! With our afternoons free again, we headed into Leuven with our objectives being chocolate and waffles (oh, and a new bag for me since my little backpack broke while in Paris... I had to divvy up my things among everyone for our last day there, which was actually quite nice for me).

After all of these objectives were met, we headed back to the train station. I realized I needed one more thing, so I popped into a store and told everyone I would meet them at the platform. Well, it turns out we had been wrong about the times, so I didn't make it to the platform in time. Thankfully, they went ahead and I enjoyed my last thirty minutes in Leuven, wandering around and giving it the goodbye it deserved. Monday night was ladies night, and we all went out and had a lovely dinner together in Zaventem.

Ever since Paris, Mallory had barely left her bed. She had been sick there, but everything just got a lot worse when we got back. So, by Tuesday afternoon, she was ready to just get out for a little bit. We headed into town with two objectives. Well, I already told you the first one - just get out for a little bit. The second objective was a much more daunting task: figure out what we are doing next in life. 

So, with drinks and determination, we drew up a pros and cons list for the next two years of Mallory's life. What a scary, scary thing. I am so happy that I came somewhere where there are so many other people trying to sort out the next step. After much brainstorming and deliberating, we came up with a solid plan that left Mallory feeling great about the future. I was so happy for her that I didn't feel the need to sort out my future anymore... Or something like that.

Tuesday night was the farewell dinner, which was catered by the lovely kebab place down the road. People cried... I didn't. 

And then probably about 10 of us hung out in the main area - everyone exhausted, but no one wanting to miss anything from the final evening. Eventually people started to drop off and we all went to bed dreading the goodbyes of the next day, but looking forward to the final presentations of the morning.

The interns started off the final presentations with our own rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Our version was, of course, entitled "The Twelve Days of Child Care." We sang of the most momentous moments like, "Alex has a weird face," and we sang of the most common occurrences, "I need a tissue." Suffice it to say, I think we did a great job of highlighting our month and setting a high bar for the "presentations." One of the first couples up did a lip sync battle for theirs which blew our song out of the water. 

The best, by far though, was the award show that Ben and Julie did. They came up with a title and award for every person (just like the "Dundies" in The Office.) They definitely put the most time and money into theirs, and from my standpoint, it was worth it!

After the first set of "goodbyes" were said, those of us that were left went into town for one last Belgian brew before our departure. Then, we enjoyed our last falafel sandwiches together and said our goodbyes. 

At this point, Amy, Mallory and I were some of the last ones left, and wanting to thoroughly enjoy our last night, we relaxed and curled up for a movie, said goodbye and went to bed.

From Zaventem, some went to the States, some to Paris, others to Prague, one to Berlin, another to Cambodia, some to London and still others to Scotland. I'm sure I'm missing several places. There was sadness that we were all leaving each other, but also excitement that we were all going our separate ways and have soooo many places to visit now!

Paris continued

The one major downside of using Air bnb, especially if only for a couple nights, is that we had to clean the whole place thoroughly before we left. When you stay at a hostel, it's just grab your bag and go - which I definitely prefer.

I optimistically predicted that we would be at Shakespeare & Co. by 10:15. Mallory predicted 10:30. We were both wrong... I was more wrong. And, of course, 10:15 is what we told Kelsey. In my mind it was simple - go to Gare du Nord. Drop off bags. Take 4 min train to Notre Dame. Shakespeare & Co. right there. Sounds like a 30 minute journey to me. Add an hour onto that and I would've been right on the money. 

I could not for the life of me figure out where the lockers were. I was blindly leading four other people all around the busiest train station, searching for somewhere to put our luggage for the day. I ended up leading us outside of the train station, based on my interpretation of the directions I had received. It is the worst being the confident one of the group when not a single person has a clue where to go. I kept asking everyone where they thought we should go, and they would just stare at me blankly. So onward I went. And onward they followed.

Granted, I had been the one saying that it wouldn't take long. Seeing the distress in Amy's eyes thinking of Kelsey standing all alone waiting for us, I sent her ahead with the best directions I could muster.

Our generation clearly cannot make plans without cell phones. How did people used to plan to meet up so early in advance? It is a lost art.

Right after Amy left, we found the lockers. Of course. We then made it to Shakespeare & Co. without a hiccup... I somehow remembered where it was from the summer before! As we were crossing the street we ran into Kelsey who had just given up on us. Poor girl had waited 45 minutes for us! Had she given up a moment sooner we never would've found her. The joy of finally finding her turned into despair as we realized that Amy had never reached her.

Without going into all the details of running back and forth between Starbucks and Shakespeare & Co., let's just say we were together at last, with the fear of splitting up instilled in everyone. After everyone got what they wanted from Shakespeare and Co., we headed to the Flea market... And never made it.

The train stopped at "Paris du Nord" and I knew it had to be the right one... Or at least I thought I knew. As soon as we got off, Mallory looked at me and said,  "This isn't right." There was just enough doubt in my mind, that I just said, "Aah!" and we followed her back on. In moments like that, when there's a ten second window to either stay or get back on the train, I don't think anyone can think clearly. 

The next stop was outside of the city. I had flashbacks to two summers ago, staying in the suburbs of Paris. I knew we were doomed. Amy chimed in with a lovely "I knew the one back there was the right one." I now realize how Julia must've felt when I used to say things like that back in the day. Partly proud that the person is learning, but at the same time... Really wishing they had spoken up just a bit sooner. Love you, Amy :)

Apparently, we needed new tickets to get back into the city. And no one's credit card worked on the sketchy machine. And we didn't have enough change. Kelsey, Amy and I set out on a mission to get change. We found a fruit stand with a man who had a bowl of change. We asked if we could give him a €10 for the same back in change. He replied that if that's what we wanted, then maybe we should go see if the homeless man with the cart behind him could help us. (There is some debate on whether the man he pointed out was homeless - Kelsey and Amy say he was selling things... I'm in no position to judge, but to me shopping cart + disheveled man = homeless).

Instead of pursuing that option, we bought an apple from the man with the bowl of change. We still didn't have enough. Everyone thought that we did, so they all went ahead, leaving Kelsey and I behind with enough money for a ticket and a half. The train was arriving in less than a minute, and we had one whole ticket between the two of us. I grabbed her hand and pulled her through after me, as she said, "God knows we tried as hard as we could!" And boy, is she right. 

Not wanting to push our luck anymore, we headed to the Arc de Triomphe. Right around this time, the caffeine, lack of food, dehydration and medicine that I had recently took, oh and the stress - all, caught up to me at the same time. I looked at Mallory and said, "Man, that cough medicine is making me feel weirdddd." She responded with a, "Weird, how?" Me: "Well, now that you ask... Weird, like I'm gonna pass about, I guess."

As the world swirled around me, we arrived at the Arc and made for a place to eat since I clearly needed something.  

Then we climbed the Arc for an unforgettable view of Paris.

The climb down, of course, caused Mallory to start shaking... 

The two of us were clearly ready to get on the bus back to Brussels. Before we did this though, we stopped at Laduree for some delicious macarons (my first macarons ever)! Not a bad first place to get them! 

Presentation is everything.

We then headed towards the metro to go to the bus station. We ran into the Sweets who warned us that since we were getting in so late from Paris that the trains in Brussels might not be stopping at our little town of Zaventem.  Surprisingly, we made it to the Paris bus station without an issue - wasn't exactly expecting that! 

We had wifi on the bus, so I looked up trains and realized that if we were on time we would have to wait an hour until a train could take us home. I didn't tell anyone this - not wanting to kill the little bit of morale that had been built up from us getting to the bus station OK. When we made a stop for over thirty minutes (it was only supposed to be 20 min), I was sure that we were doomed. But sure enough we got in 20 minutes early and were able to get a train back right away. Never thought that lumpy pillow and threadbare comforter at the Zav center would feel so welcoming and cozy.

The best way to sum up our time in Paris: An Adventure.

I have experienced Paris in so many different ways. The first time I went to Paris, Julia and I stayed in the lovely suburbs of Rosny... MISTAKE. Sure, the hotel was super cheap. "Why?" you may ask. Well, because it was in what can only be described as the ghetto. We were afraid to get back after dark, so we never got to see Paris at night. This past summer, I finally did, and (this is about to sound super cheesy) it was one of the most magical experiences of my entire life... Paris at night? Unbeatable. 

I would say that Mallory and Amy felt the same way when we finally reached the Eiffel Tower on Friday night. As we emerged from the metro station, we looked up, and there the Eiffel Tower was, in all of its glory. It's great during the day, but at night... it makes the "city of lights" what it is. It was illuminated and and sparkling. Amy started weeping... Wanna see?

Weeping and laughing at the sight of the Eiffel Tower.

But I should really go back to the beginning. Thursday night, we got to our Air Bnb apartment, that Mallory had booked for us, without a hiccup. The only issue that we had was that it took us about 20 minutes to figure out how the futon folded out, but besides that, the night went smoothly. Mallory had chosen a very nice neighborhood that was only a ten minute walk from the Louvre, so that was our first stop on Friday, after a delicious breakfast of omelets and crisaints. 

The Louvre is always a complicated situation. Do you study the art you are looking at and discuss it with those around you and only see 7% of the museum, or do you walk through quickly, try not to get lost, and still only see 20%? Well, we went for the latter. The Mona Lisa was a disappointment to some, as you can see: 

It was agreed that it was a wonderful experience and everyone walked away with a new kind of appreciation for the art that they saw. Notre Dame was the next stop. This was my third time at the church and it never ceases to disappoint me. 

I'm sure some of you have disappointed with the fact that I haven't really been living up to the name of my blog... "where have I not gotten lost." Well, can I just say that this post should make up for all of the boring stories of me getting everything right? The Paris trip in general went downhill from about 30 minutes after we stepped into Notre Dame.

Bonnie and Jennifer (the two interns that I'm not roommates with) ended up climbing to the top of Notre Dame without telling us, so, long story short, we ended up waiting and searching for them for almost an hour. I wish I could say that since we were in Paris that this didn't effect our mood, but I would be lying. Something about waiting for people in the cold and rain kills the mood for Mallory and I... Eventually we found each other and headed to the Eiffel Tower... JK. I led us in the opposite direction.  So after 10 minutes in the opposite direction, we settled in for an unnecessarily long, half hour ride to the Eiffel Tower. So, when I say that Amy wept at the Eiffel Tower, yes she thought it was beautiful, but she was also using the Eiffel Tower as a reason to cry over the past few hours... understandably.

We crossed the bridge for the best view of the Eiffel Tower, which I would say that everyone definitely appreciated. 

After some cappuccino to help us bear the cold, Mallory and I led us as we headed (in the right direction this time!) back to the apartment without a hiccup - and without a map, I might add. Feeling confident again, I directed Kelsey (who was staying about 20 min away by metro) on how to get to us. 
We agreed to meet at the metro station near our apartment, and I was sure that there were only two exits from the metro station. Turns out I was wrong. This metro station had a secret passageway that led to an underground mall. 

While Kelsey was wandering lost in the underground mall, a few streets (and many stairs) away - Amy was standing watch at one exit and I at the other. Of course, the exit that I was standing at was a sketchy street corner. Across the street from me, four homeless men sat in a circle passing around a bottle of whiskey... after a very uneasy 30 minutes of waiting alone (uneasy because I had left my mace at home!) I went to get Amy who had just contacted Kelsey. 

Long story short, through the aid of wifi on both ends, about another 30 minutes later, we were able to find Kelsey who had gotten barricaded into the underground mall by the overnight construction workers, who graciously let her out. By this point it was 10pm, but we were determined to make the most of the night, so we lounged in the apartment with a couple bottles of French wine and dutifully made a solid plan for the next day... or so we thought. 

On my last full week interning in Belgium.

Sunday was a relaxing start to an insanely busy week. We had lunch with people from the church that we have been attending. After spending a bit of time downtown grabbing some beer and waffles, we headed back to Zaventem just in time for dinner. Our Sundays go by sooo fast. From what I can remember, all I did after that was go to the Bru House for a few hours to catch up on blogging. I am always a step behind.

This week was language school for the missionaries, which meant watching kids until 4:30 pm every day... thankfully with a lunch break in there. The first day, determined to make the most of the day, even though most of it had already been taken away from us, we headed to the Atomium. It is a gigantic structure that you can climb that was built for the 1958 World's Fair. We were determined to climb it, but had to rush because it closed at 6:00, and it was at least 30 minutes away. We dashed out the door, and, after a shaky ride on a very sketchy tram car or two, we arrived. It was 5:55 when we arrived and we still had a five minute walk to reach it, so we ran. We made it before 6:00! Only to find out that it closed at 5:30.

It was still worth the trip! (L-R) Bonnie, Rachel, Amy, Kelsey and I

You would think that something so popular would have a nice tram stop, but that was not the case. We found our way out of there though, after we went to a pharmacy and everyone in the store pitched in to give us directions. We were thankful to be out after such a long day, so we happily stayed in Brussels and had a wonderful meal out.

Tuesday night was my last night having a drink and blogging at the Bru House, and I didn't even know it. I just found out today that it was closing for a month for remodeling. I never got to say goodbye (I mean I walked by it forlornly today, but that's not the proper way to say goodbye to a bar).

This is the last drink that I took a picture of there. "Kwak"- so good... the presentation makes it taste even better. Well, this is my little tribute... Goodbye Bru House. No other bar seems good enough for my last week here, so I am just writing in bed... not even close to the same.

We had a nice intern meeting Tuesday night surrounding falafel and beer. If we have to have an intern meeting, then that is definitely the way to do it. Wednesday consisted of lots of Paris planning and booking, followed by a delicious dinner at the Japanese noodle place in Zaventem.

Why the picture? It was just that good.