The -abyss-

     This week has been one of the longest weeks of my life in every way possible. If you told me we visited Koblenz a month ago I'd believe you. The city itself was absolutely beautiful. We started at an old opera house and got to see everything from wigs, costumes, makeup, backstage, and the stunning auditorium. Then we went to a castle to see a whispering room, which we didn't end up being able to see thanks to some work being done of some sort... but we had good intentions. The view from the castle was gorgeous and a great spot to spend 20 minutes taking way too many photos. The next few days consisted of class and a trip to Cologne to tour the city and eat at a famous brewery. The cathedral there is one of the most mesmerizing things I had seen, up until Versailles which I saw on Saturday, but I'm getting there. German class has been really fun since it's so interactive and I love that. I have been using new things I learn at my home and my host family likes hearing me try, key word TRY, to pronounce things. We talked about the euthanasia during world war 2 in history of medicine and it's one of the most interesting lectures I have ever sat through. You feel as though WW2 was so long ago but in reality there are people alive today who wear the tattoos from concentration camps on their wrists. Hearing about everything done, and seeing the pictures of some of the victims was so moving and really had me reflecting on it even until now.
    It wouldn't be a real week in my life unless there was some drama of some sort so oh do I have a story for you. First, I ordered a eurail pass a long time ago and paid way too much money for express shipping for it to be delivered May 28th. Well....let's just say that didn't pan out the way it was supposed to. After a few frustration tears and a fighting Texas aggie mental breakdown after thinking my pass was stolen in the mail, all was right with the world when I got my pass on Friday only two hours before it was time to leave for Paris (or so I thought). Little ol' me went home, packed my bags, and headed to the train station when suddenly, to my surprise, I noticed my ticket was in fact not for Friday but for Saturday (while I was already in Cologne). After contemplating what to do - buy a ticket, buy a new pass, wait until the next day - I decided just to hop on the exact same train and pull the stupid American card. I got almost all the way to Brussels before they came to check tickets and when I gave the man mine he informed me that my ticket was for the wrong day - busted. I ended up paying 95 euro to stay on to Paris, which is unfortunate because I paid so much for my eurail pass already, but the tickets were supposed to be 200+ euro so I got lucky that he didn't charge me that much. I got to Paris, saw the Eiffel tower, the louvre, and my favorite - Versailles. I loved being able to see the amazing architecture and I only wish I could have gotten a dollar for every time I said "Woooooowww". Saturday night we went to the first ever rave at the palace of Versailles ( including a surprise performance by Tyler, the creator) and I just imagine Louis XIV looking down on us and being proud, dancing and partying just like he did back in the day.
     SO - while this may have been one of the most stressful weeks of my life, it has also been one of the greatest. I could not have asked for better friends to travel with and to help me after what I would call the abyss of my hero's journey.