The Finale

Alright well it has taken me a while to get around to writing this post. (Hrmm seems like there is some grammatical error in that sentence). Anyways we got back from The Netherlands and started having studio. And it was just regular old studio. Of course on top of that there was the fact that Sam and I were traveling that weekend to go to Paris to watch the end of the Tour de France.

So we trudged through the week, doing the assignments and playing some intense soccer at night. (I think that soccer became our coping mechanism). So finally we made it to the end of the week.

On Friday we went to the train station to buy tickets. I got mine for 40 Euro to Paris and 40 Euro back. Okay not so bad ( I was leaving Saturday and returning Monday morning). So Sam went to buy his (and he wanted to leave Sunday morning and return Monday morning). Well a ticket to Paris on Sunday morning was 80 Euro so he said no and just decided to ride with me.

So we bought the tickets and then went back finished up stuff there and slept. Saturday comes and we don't have anything planned so we just piddle around not really much to do. I work on a few things waiting for 3:00 to roll around. Finally it does and we hop on the train from Leuven to Brussels's midi (where the main train station is). We get there and rush to that train and hop on and sleep to Paris.

I think I forgot to mention that we were meeting the parentals in Paris (plus Shannon and Kellie). So we get off and go buy metro passes and head into the city. We meet up with my parents at the Pompideau center and go inside and look at the exhibits. (I was pretty excited because I got to see Kandinsky again). After that we went to eat and then called it a night.

The next morning Dad and I woke up at 6:00 and got in a taxi and went out to the airport to pick up Kellie. We got her and then took the train/metro back into town. We arrived just in time for breakfast and ate. Sam took off to go to the Champs to get a good place to stand. And the rest of us just started walking (making our way to the Louvre).

So mom, Shannon and Kellie go to the Louvre and father and I go to get a place to wait for the tour. Well I think at this time it was like 12:00 and the tour didn't come in till like 4:30. So we had some serious waiting to do. So we found a spot and then just stroke up a good 4 hour conversation.

We all met up again and watched as the tour came in, it was really exciting to see these people that you had been watching on the tv for a month. So we finished up there and through the swarms and masses and hundreds of people we finally made it back to the hotel and went and had dinner.

I talked with the hotel manager that night and had him arrange a taxi to pick Sam and I up the next morning at 5:45. Our train left at 6:20 So it would be just perfect. We said our goodbyes and went to sleep.

Woke up the next morning at 5:20 and showered and got ready. Went downstairs and waited for the taxi.......and waited.......and waited. Well by 5:50 we were out trying to get another taxi but couldn't find any. so we hopped on the metro and headed to the train station Gare du Nord. well by the time we got there we had missed our train. Which was fine I guess because all we had to do was trade in our ticket for a new one on the next train. Except that the only seats available were 1st class. Okay so we had to pay 25 Euro extra to get 'upgraded'. So we hopped on the train and I immediately went to sleep. Only to be woke up by a tray full of food being handed to me.

Okay so 1st class is not that bad. So I devoured that food and then went back to sleep. We got into Brussels and catched a train to Leuven and got back to class. All in all it was a fun trip to Paris.

We finished the week off with studio and on that Friday the girls at the hostel cooked up a huge barbeque. Which I couldn't even fathom the amount of food. It seemed like no matter how much I finished they always had more.....but I wasn't complaining.

So the next morning the fam drove out from Brussels to pick me up. Well father was a little stressed (for some reason I still need to ask him about) but in any case they picked me up and we headed back to Brussels. We spent the rest of the day eating Belgian waffles and tournig the city. We ate at this excellent Itallian restaurant that night where I have to say I had the best Monzarella Caprezi I have ever had.

The next morning again I said my goodbyes and went to the airport and came back to the US.

And that was about the end of my trip.

But as some old wise guy once said, "As one trip ends, another begins". Well it just so happens this phrase is fitting in my situation. I am now in the process of applying to Graduate schools and trying to figure that whole mess out.