Week two and public transportation still hates me in Europe...

After getting back from Amsterdam, we went straight to bed and woke up for an early class with Waltz. We then all headed to Koblenz where we got to visit an amazing theatre that held multiple productions from ballet to opera to puppetry. We got to go backstage and see all the different aspects of how the entire performance is made. There were rooms filled with costumes and huge carpenter rooms that they use to cut the wood. We finished the tour by heading to the Rhine and taking a gondola up to a fort. At the top, we were able to overlook the entire city and get to see the Rhine weave through the countryside. After many pictures, we all headed back down the gondola and headed towards the Whilhem Statue. Our group without hesitation climbed up the statue where we sat and overlooked the Rhine. We then had to run to our train but made it easily on time and headed back to Bonn where we all headed our separate ways. The next day we had German and although it was a struggle we survived! After a few classes, Jackson and I went to Cologne and got a Eurail pass! One of the easiest process to get but super confusing to use.

On Wednesday we had a few classes and then headed to Cologne as a group. We went to a very cool restaurant that was super packed and what I imagined a typical German restaurant to be like. It seemed like every meal was in huge proportions so five other girls and I decided to split a meat platter that was supposed to be four. Within fifteen minutes we had destroyed the entire platter, there were literally only bones left. After eating lunch we headed to the Cathedral for our tour of Cologne where we got to go into a shop where cologne and perfume were first made. There we all received little cologne samples and I have been using it ever since! We then walked to the bridge and got to see the thousands of lockets that were placed on the bridge. With extra time on our hands, we all headed towards a gelato shop and walked along the Rhine. At this point, we all were so tired from walking and the heat but we knew we still had the barbeque. Once we were back in Bonn we all went to see some old Roman ruins that were used to heat the stones for people during the winter. Afterward, we went straight to the barbeque where we all drank, ate and got to meet other families and programs. Most of our group ended up going to hang out with other programs and staying out pretty late so the next day we were all so tired. Thursday we had a long lecture over the World War 2 period and how the experiments and decisions made during the war were important in medical history. After class, we all headed home and took huge naps to revitalize is energy. The next day we had classes over the history of medicine and our departure meeting for Norderney!

We eventually got out at around 2 and I immediately headed to Cologne since I didn't want to risk missing my train. We were headed to Paris and the first connection was in Brussels. Overall the train rides to and from Paris were perfectly fine but once we were in Paris the users and trains and subways were either super expensive or just plain confusing. Once we got to Paris it was super late outside so we all decided it was best to just go to bed and wake up early. Saturday we all went to a little bakery where we were met with our first issue with the French language. Although we couldn't say anything back we eventually got our croissants and half of us headed to Paris. We started at the Eiffel Tower and got to officially say we've seen one of the seven wonders of the world! After a quick photoshoot and walking for a bit we decided to get lunch and ended up spending the most on this meal the whole trip. I decided to get duck since my parents told me it was always good, and without a doubt they were right! We all tried escargot and it actually wasn't too bad. We then finished our meal with an amazing dessert that we still don't know what the name of it was. After lunch, we walked to the Louvre where we spent the next three hours in actual shock at how amazingly beautiful and overwhelming everything was. There was literally so much to look at you didn't even know where to begin. After walking through the louver we decided to head back into town to find something to eat, eventually, Madison Davis and I decided to go to a cafe by ourselves and spent our time eating people watching. We then decided to try to use the subway and holy moly... I don't even think it should have been attempted because we ended up going in the opposite direction. Regardless we eventually gave in and Ubered back to our Airbnb. Once home we quickly changed and headed to the other Airbnb where we all got ready for the rave that night. Soon we all were walking through the Palace of Versailles where we got to watch the first Electronic music concert at the palace in the history of its existence. We met so many people from around the world and watched the fireworks over the entire palace. Afterward we all ended up heading back to our Airbnb and woke up early enough to go back into Paris. Madison Davis and I decided to just walk around and decided to visit a few parks. We ended up seeing so much of the city and even had a mini panic when Madison thought she left her card at the Airbnb. Regardless we got to have macaroons and found the Chinatown of Paris. We finally met up with everyone at the train station and headed home. Once in Cologne, we tried finding a train back to Bonn which was easy but then I checked and my tram wasn't running so I had to buy a train ticket. Anyways I eventually got back home where I was able to relax and actually write everything out. Here's to the next week where we will be spending our time having a wonderful time in the sauna!