On August 18, 2008, I left for Europe. It was less than a month before I entered high school. My group consisted of 24 people, including our tour guide, Flo and two other NETC employees. The rest of us were kids from school, parents and teacher chaperones. Unlike the majority of the other students, my parents did not accompany me. This was just a trip for fun that the school partly sponsors for anyone who wanted to travel. I visited five different countries in fourteen days. France was the second country I traveled to, after England. France was one of the more memorable countries I visited because it reminded me of the advice my parents had given me back at the airport. They said that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, not just because it was a high class trip at a low price, but also because I was going it alone (more or less). My dad told me because it was such a special trip that I shouldn’t be scared to try anything, whether it be new foods or activities I wouldn’t normally do, I should take the plunge and enjoy whatever new experience it might be.
I kept that advice in my head when one of my teacher chaperones, Ms. Hard, told us about a side trip we could take if we wanted to. It was our second night, August 2, in Paris and we had just finished our dinner at a French bistro. They told us about going to the downtown area where there were shops and artists about, as well as old chapel. Ms. Hard said it would take an hour to get there as well as an hour back on the metro. Also, she said it was going to rain and most artists would have gone home by now. Most of the students and all of the parents decided to go back to the hotel. The only ones who decided to take the trip was Ryan, Allison, Melissa, Ms. Hard, Flo and me.
It turns out, that the trip was only fifteen minutes long and the night was thriving with activity, many artists still there. The adults and students split up and we planned to meet up in two hours. On the steps of the chapel there was a band singing “Hotel California.” Music was in the air and the three other students and I shopped at several boutiques. I bought two summer scarfs, a blue and green one with silver streaks. The green one I planned to keep and the blue one I gave to my cousin Becky.
Afterwards we went down a side street, simply enjoying the night life. Afterwards, we met up with the adults again in front of the Moulin Rouge. The outside was all lit up and we wanted to go in but we were underage, so we weren’t allowed in. The night had been fun. After taking the metro, we walked a mile to our hotel. From the sidewalk we could see the Eifel Tower in the night as it glowed blue, then it started to sparkle white, I was later told that it sparkled every hour for ten minutes after dusk. It was a beautiful sight.
When we got back to the hotel, our mates had been envious because we had gotten to have so much fun and adventure while they were bored at the hotel. So I was glad I took a chance and found adventure. For once, my parents were right.
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