Shelby's Year in Belgium: Champagne & Paris

What an amazing week! Last time I posted I talked about my plans to go to France with school and rotary. Both were amazing trips and I saw so much. So on Monday I went to school and then after school (approximately midnight) Samantha dropped me off. My classmates and I claimed back seats in a bus to go to France. We arrived at Rungis (an international market right outside Paris) at 4:30 am. We saw the fish, the meat, the fruit and vegetables and the flowers that the market sells. It was MASSIVE! Each section had their own room filled of the product people were selling. It was super early in the morning for me to understand all the tour guide said but I did enjoy seeing all the fresh food and took a couple pictures. After our tour, we had breakfast then got on the bus and headed towards Champagne. As we were leaving, we caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. In champagne we had some free time so my school friends and I bought an iced tea at a café. It was the most expensive iced tea I have ever bought (3.80 euros!!) but we got access to a toilet so it was worth it. After we drank our tea, we went to a cute little macaron shop. I bought everyone a macaron to try. They were really delicious. For lunch we ate at a restaurant in champagne. It was some kind of meat (I think either chicken or duck) with a champagne sauce. After lunch we headed towards Champagne de Castellane, a famous champagne maker. We were given a tour of the caves where the champagne is made and stored and then we got to try the champagne. I can now say I have drunken champagne in Champagne! After that we headed back home to Belgium. We got in a little earlier than expected so there was a little trouble for me getting home but fortunately my friend Berenice gave me a ride home. Merci Beaucoup! After the trip, I was really tired and became sick. Wednesday, my host mom and I went to the town hall and I got my Belgian ID card (which I needed for Paris!) and we tried to open a bank account for me but it was a little complicated so we have to try somewhere else. Thursday I packed for Paris and relaxed at home after school. Friday I was on sink duty with my friend Chloe for cooking class. It was actually really fun to work with her even though we had one of the not fun jobs. I also received my grades for the period, I passed all my classes and did really well for an exchange student. After school, I helped Samantha and Elliot decorate for Halloween! We ate dinner and then I spent the night in Limal with my friends Dani and Cami. The next morning, we left together for Paris! We got on the bus at Namur and headed to Mons to pick up more students then to Paris. We spent 3 days in Paris (including Halloween). We travelled for most of the morning. Our first stop was the Palace of Versailles. I visited last time I was in Paris but this time I saw more of the gardens and the chambers of the queen’s ladies plus all the rooms in the castle. It is really such a beautiful place. I can imagine living there a few hundred years ago having balls and such with royalty. Maeve from New York and I explored the gardens together which was a lot of fun. Fortunately for us the weather in Paris was warm and nice. After Versailles, we headed towards Paris. We ate at a restaurant called hippopotamus. All the waiters were dressed up for Halloween and I was so afraid one was going to scare me, and one did! After we took a picture with the spooky staff we piled into the bus to see a little bit of Paris at night. It was amazing but I wish we could’ve walked around outside of the bus! After a little drive, we got off to go on a boat cruise. It was actually the same cruise I went on with my school the last time I came to Paris. It brought back a lot of good memories. The cruise was so much fun and we took a lot of pictures together. After a fun-filled day we arrived at the hotel. I went straight to bed because I was sick and tired. Day 2 was a day full of art! We went to the Louvre and the Museum d’Orsay. Maeve and I covered almost all of the first floor of the Louvre together in 2 hours. It was awesome to go back and see the Mona Lisa. We had lunch at the Carousel de Louvre which is like a shopping mall in the Louvre. I bought an instant photo camera for myself as a birthday gift. I am super excited to use it! In the Museum d’Orsay I saw impressionist paintings (Monet and Degas are my favorite!) and I got a quick peek of the Van Gogh section of the museum. Afterwards, we waited almost 2 hours for some exchange students who didn’t know what time they needed to be back. It was kind of a bummer that we lost that time but there was a street performer that kept us entertained. Once the MIA students were found we headed towards the Champs-Elysees and Arc d’Triomphe. We had 30 minutes of free time so Maeve, Gabrielle and I (the 3 sickies on the trip) took photos together in front of the Arc d’Triomphe and checked out a souvenir shop. We then had dinner at a cute little restaurant on the Champs-Elysees. Afterwards we had more free time so we walked to the top of the Arc d’Triomphe. It was so beautiful to see all of Paris from there. I really liked it because it was something I didn’t see before. We got to watch the Eiffel Tower twinkle up there too. That was one of my favorite moments during the trip. Afterwards, we went to the Eiffel Tower. The view from the Eiffel Tower during the day is amazing and at night it was like Paris was a new city. I definitely understand why it is called the city of lights. So beautiful. We were on the Eiffel tower while it twinkled at 10pm and I thought it was cool knowing that the people of Paris were looking at this massive structure I was on. We returned to the hotel and Maeve and I went straight to bed, again trying to get rid of our plagues. The next day was our last day in Paris. Our first stop was Notre Dame. Maeve, Gabby and I went inside the church and then walked around the church and across the bridge with all the locks on it. I saw the area where Mackenzie and I put our lock from the first trip to Paris. We also went to Shakespeare and Co, a very famous book shop but it wasn’t opened until later during the day so we bought books from the vendors on the side of the Seine. Afterwards we headed towards Montmartre and Sacre Coeur. I bought a painting from an artist in Montmartre and Maeve and I bought macarons from a little shop there too. They were very yummy! We walked down the stairs right in front of Sacre Coeur to get to Hard Rock Café. That was so cool to see the church from close and then from a distance. I went to Hard Rock for the first time in Paris!! I really enjoyed it. Afterwards we had some free time so Gabby, Maeve and I walked around. We found chipotle so I bought some to eat on the bus. It was so good and I definitely missed it. We then said Au Revoir to Paris and headed back to Belgium. It was such an amazing trip with a wonderful group of people. I am really glad that was my first trip with Rotary and I am looking forward to my next trips with them. This week I have fall break so I plan on resting and getting better. Friday I am going to the Netherlands with some other exchange students and then hopefully spending the weekend in Brussels. It has been a pretty good vacation so far. That’s all I have for now! Thanks for reading.

Until Next Time!

Shelby