On the 15th of May, Isabelle (Rotary exchange student from Indiana) and I left the Faroe's and arrived very late that evening in Skagen, Denmark. The Eurotour began on May 17th, so we arrived in Denmark with two nights to spare before boarding the bus in Aalborg. Skagen is a small town at the top point of Denmark with a population of about 8,000 people. It's about a 45 minute drive from Aalborg, so I am still unsure as to why they had us stay there, but I'm glad we did. The town was full of little shops, cafes, and beaches at every corner. It was the perfect place to start our trip.
The day Eurotour began, I was actually pretty uneasy. Everyone on our bus had been together for the past year in Denmark, and I wasn't sure how accepting they would be in getting to know me. I have no idea what I was worried about. Making friends was not a problem, and I had no idea how hard it would be to say goodbye come the last days...
Our bus consisted of 62 exchange students from the US, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, India, Japan, Canada, and more that I am unable to remember. It was an explosion of languages, accents, songs, clapping rhythms, and chants. I couldn't possibly have wished for anything better. I won't lie, it made me a bit resentful that I missed out on having the "exchange student experience" during my year in the Faroe's, but I was happy enough to have my month getting to know them, and wouldn't change the way my year turned out for anything.
The first night of the trip was spent in Berlin, Germany. We spent two nights in most places, other than Paris and Lido Di Jesolo (Italy), so we had a full day to do whatever it was our hearts desired in each city. In Berlin, our goal was to make it to the Holocaust museum, but the map got us lost and impulsive desire took over so we ended up spending the day wandering the city, playing with giant bubbles, and getting scammed, as every tourist should have the chance to experience.
The next stop was Prague. I don't know if it was the miraculously beautiful buildings, finally affordable prices, the best potato on a stick I've ever eaten, tourist friendly subway system, or overall "Golden City" atmosphere, but Prague stole my heart. If I were have to come up with an answer for my favorite city of the trip, Prague is it. We began the morning up at the Castle, and spent the day meandering down into the city by way of the Charles Bridge, certainly a highlight. And if I thought Prague was beautiful by day, the night life was just as incredible. Lights reflected off the golden buildings and it was as if the city never fell asleep. Music was always heard and people constantly filled the streets. I'd love to make it back some day.
By day...
By night ...
The Golden City
I watched these guys for at least 25 minutes. I took a video at the request of anyone who would like to hear.
The next day we drove to Vienna, Austria, stopping at Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia along the way. I felt a bit uneasy about taking pictures inside the camp, so I don't have any to show, but it was an interesting experience to say the least. Our full day in Vienna was spent at the Natural History Museum (an activity I would recommend if ever you find yourself in Vienna), admiring St. Stephen's Cathedral in the city center, and enjoying some Austrian coffee and pastries in a charming pink accented coffee shop. The weather was on point, and overall it was a gorgeous time spent in Vienna, Austria.
After Vienna we made our way to... Italy. Ahh, Italy. The land of pasta, gelato and stereotypical accents and hand gestures (which coincidentally happened to be 100% accurate). We spent three nights in a little Italian beach town called Lido Di Jesolo. The hotel was fantastic, a five minute walk from the beach, and the main street was lined with gelato shops and flip flops. It was a little piece of Italian heaven. La dolce vita, my friend. We got on the bus early on our first full day in Italy, to spend the day in Venice. Venice was more beautiful than the famous pictures. We looked on the outskirts and through every little ally way, and not an ugly site was to be found. It was, however, disappointingly hot, humid and a bit too touristy for my taste. But I managed to get ravioli and a gondola ride, so my Venice experience is complete. The next day was spent in Lido Di Jesolo, with absolutely no requirements other than to sleep until noon, spend the day on the beach, eat gelato, and go sing karaoke in the evening. It was a fun day to regroup, but the leaders had to distribute a bottle of aloe vera to each of the 62 exchange students that night in the hotel. Everyone looked like a tomato the next day except some of the South Americans, who are super humans immune to sunburn.
A jumble of cities came between Italy and France. The drive between Lido Di Jesolo and Avignon was to long to go it in one day, so we spent an overnight in San Remo, Italy. I won't say much about San Remo other than the hotel reminded me too much of the movie The Shining and I have never had that kind of uneasy feeling in a city before. The next morning we drove to Avignon, France, making a day stop in Monte Carlo, Monaco along the way. We spent the day feeling out of place, looking at cars we couldn't afford in a lifetime, and checking out the spectacular view from the palace.
Looked even more heavenly in person.
We made it to Avignon later that night, and ended up staying at the YMCA Youth Hostel just outside of Avignon. The next day we all traveled together to the Pont du Gard. The bridge was fantastic as well as its beautiful surroundings, and we enjoyed our morning by splashing in the river, taking pictures, and having a nice picnic. The rest of the day was spent in Avignon city center, riding the carousel a couple times and checking out the street vendors.
The next day we traveled as a group to the Louvre and spent our morning taking selfies with the Mona Lisa and posing with the Greek statues. After lunch, we took an hour long metro ride to... DISNEY LAND PARIS. DISNEY LAND PARIS. It was a refreshing afternoon that made turned everyone into happy five year olds, but at the same time homesick for their families.
Our last full day in Paris, we were left free to do whatever it was we desired. We began the day at the Eiffel Tower, and walked along the river until we reached the Love Lock bridge. My friend walking next to me and I found ourselves talking about how our parents met as we walked, one of the many side effects of Paris. We then circled around to the Champs Elysees, and ended at the Arc de Triomphe where we took the metro to the old graveyard in Paris. A strange location to go visit, but it was one of the most beautiful graveyards I've ever been in, and I got a picture with Jim Morrison's grave. We returned to the hostel for dinner, and then we were free to do whatever we wished that night. Of course, I returned to the Eiffel Tower for one last glimpse and a chance to go up inside. The view of Paris at night from the Eiffel Tower was just as stunning as the tower itself, and worth climbing up a crazy amount of steps. Overall, Paris was an absolute gem.
After Paris, things started to slow down a bit. We made a day trip to Brussels, Belgium on our way to Holland. I got a wonderfully delicious Belgian waffle, as well as some Belgian chocolate for the road, and a little statue of the "Peeing Boy". We stayed in a cozy hostel in Arnhem for two nights, and spent the full day in Amsterdam. I would have loved to visit the Van Gogh museum, but the line was three hours long, and we only had five hours to spend in Amsterdam. A reason to go back in the future. Amsterdam was beautiful, and we spent most of the day following the canal's and enjoying the perfect weather.
The next morning was rather quiet, as this was the day we would be driving back to Denmark and each of us would leave the bus one by one. Tears were shed and last hugs were given as we made our way up to Aalborg, making our stops along the way as people needed to get off. It was confusing that it was so difficult to say goodbye to people I had only known for 18 days. Exchange students bond quickly, and the bond is hard to break. I would just like to say, I am more than grateful to everyone on Bus 2 for giving me 18 days worth of memories to last the rest of my life. I love all of you wonderful people. Vi ses.
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