Wednesday May 24

Today we had a morning to sleep in and relax. We went to buy some French chocolate and then went to a mid-morning brunch at a small cafe in Paris close to our hotel. After this, we returned and a few of our group members bought baguettes to eat on our train ride. We ordered Uber vans to take us and our luggage to the train station. The driving in Paris was very crazy, basically a free for all with bikes and motorcycles maneuvering through traffic. Once we got to the train station we grabbed a bite to eat for the train ride. Travel days tend to be rather hectic, especially when the restrooms are far apart and you have to pay to use them. We also can't do as many exciting lessons on travel days as it takes up a big chunk of our time, that aside we still got to have some more fun in Paris before hopping on the train to Switzerland. The train ride was very pretty view-wise we saw a lot of cows and it was very green. We also got to see Lake Geneva and the mountains of Switzerland which were so beautiful. To keep ourselves entertained on the train we played a lot of Uno. After the train ride, we hopped on a subway to get to our hotel in Switzerland. The hotel is right next to the subway stations which is so nice as we did not have to carry our bags very far. We attempted to do some laundry, however, the laundry mat was cash only and we could not find an ATM to get any, so we will have to go another day. We then went to dinner at The Lacustre where we got some amazing pizza. I had a Spilingo pizza with spicy tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, and pesto. The restaurant was right on the border of the lake and we ate at sunset so we had an amazing view. We also got to see the countdown clock for the 2024 Olympics as Lausanne is home to the International Olympic Committee. After this, we walked around the city which is much more peaceful than London and Paris were. The subways here seem to be a lot cleaner and are much less crowded which is a nice change from the other places we have been so far. We ended the night by heading back to our hotel and getting some rest as we have to be up early tomorrow for a day at the IOC. I am a big fan of Switzerland so far and it is a nice break from all the craziness of the other two cities. I am having so much fun on this trip seeing such beautiful places and learning so much about such a fun topic. Professor Ryan, unfortunately, had to end his trip in Paris, but I know he is hoping we have a great rest of our trip in Switzerland and Greece. I am very excited about these next two locations of the trip and am not ready for it to end. We miss you Professor Ryan and GM!

Tuesday, May 23 (Paris)

 

DAY EIGHT OF OLYMPIC ODYSSEY!

Hang on tight folks, this was a packed day:

The group started the day at The French Open – SO COOL! We all ventured to different matches, but Jordan and I sat down to watch a few games of a men’s USA vs. Taiwan match before heading a few courts down to a women’s Italy vs. Hungary match. It was incredible to be a part of such a sophisticated and significant sporting event, never mind in Paris! Plus, we ran into a just-graduated SPM major and close friend, Alex Guo! Everyone loves Alex :) After a couple of hours watching tennis and exploring the gift shop, the group hopped on a train to Versailles! HOW COOL! It very seriously was one of the most impressive places I have seen thus far, never mind ever in my life. Each room was decorated completely different than the one before – garnished with gold at ever turn, with intrinsic molding, bright colors, embroidered silk and fabric, painted and vaulted ceilings, crystal chandeliers and candlestick holders, and polished wood and stone furniture. It was an unbelievable display of the French royalty; it’s hard to believe real people lived here. Funny enough, my favorite part of every room were the long, embroidered curtains and their windows with views to the giant gardens behind the palace. Unfortunately, we were unable to explore the gardens… but we just went to the gift shop instead :) After taking a much needed rest on the train back to Paris, the group walked around the Eiffel Tower once more on our way to our dinner reservation at 20 Eiffel, only a few blocks from the base of the Tower. At this Michelin Guide restaurant (!!!), we all got a three-course meal varying from escargot to rabbit leg to beef chuck to crème brulee and souffle. It was immaculate to say the least! Now on to the event of the evening… the Seine River Cruise! Boarding just at dusk, part of the group sat on the top deck and admired the French architecture as we sailed what will be the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony route. Though we had walked past or through them all the day prior, we saw the French assembly building, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Notre Dame just to name a few. We had not seen the Notre Dame up close yet, and it was almost saddening to see the rear portion of the historical landmark destroyed from the fire a few years before :( However, the city is working effortlessly to restore the monument back to its notorious beauty. Plus, we had a great time waving and yelling back to all the people lined along the river eating, dancing, and hanging out. But, the most impressive part of the ride was easily the Eiffel Tower lit up in its shining lights! As we began to approach, cameras instantly came out and people began posing to get their Instagram content with arguably the most recognizable monument in the world… and we did too, no shame. The night concluded there, and the group headed back to the hotel to rest before heading to Switzerland tomorrow!

We miss you Prof. Ryan and GM!

Wednesday May 24

  Wednesday May 24

    Today was primarily a travel day from Paris to Switzerland. Out of all four countries, I have been looking forward to Switzerland the most. So far, it has not disappointed and we have only been here a few hours. Before I get ahead of myself let me start from the beginning. We started off today with a free morning in Paris. I have been loving the hotel breakfast so I made sure to get up and get myself down there before close. I enjoyed my yogurt, Nutella crepes, and salami and cheese mini baguette. After breakfast, it was time to check out. We put our luggage in the luggage room and ventured out to walk around the hotel a little bit. Jordan has been wanting chocolates from Leonidas so a group of us headed there. I got a small bag that I am very excited to try. After we went to sit at a little cafe where I tried my first Mocha, it was delicious. I will be attaching a picture below as it was probably the prettiest drink I have ever received. I will definitely be getting more of those in the future but I doubt it will compare. A few of the people who missed hotel breakfast got something to eat, all which looked very tasty. We were running out of time so we headed back to the hotel to catch the train. 

    We had a four hour train ride from Paris to Lausanne but honestly it went by so fast. The whole group got to sit near each other and I was fortunate enough to grab a window. This ride was absolutely beautiful. We went past the wine country in France and into the rolling hills of Switzerland. A few of us played Crazy 8's on the train which was very fun. I also had time to read some of my book which was very relaxing and enjoyable. Once we arrived in Switzerland I immediately decided it was my favorite place we have been so far. The scenery is absolutely stunning. Ava put it perfectly by saying it looks as if we are in a Disney movie. Everyone so far has been so nice and welcoming, the train is super easy, and the streets are not nearly as crowded. After dropping our stuff in the hotel we about half of the group attempted to go do some laundry which was a fail. After giving up and giving in to our hunger we decided it was time to eat. We took the train down the hill to an Italian place on the water. The sun was setting and the vibes were just amazing. We all got pizza and wine as we sat on the deck looking out onto the lake. I am so excited for the leg of the trip, I already don't want to ever leave. Peyton said it best, "Switzerland is amazing and the flag is a big plus."

           

Sunday May 21

 We had our first trip today, from London to Paris. But first, we had a free morning in London, and it was wonderful to enjoy a Sunday morning in London while sleeping in. The most of us slept in, but a few of us got up and toured various locations in London. Ryan Severe got up and went to the Arsenal Football Club's home stadium, the Emirates Stadium, as well as the Arsenal Museum to learn more about the club's history. Ryan is a fan of Arsenal and could not pass up the opportunity to see their historic stadium and find out more about one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. Brenden went to the Cartoon Museum to watch a Ralph Steadman exhibit, which is his favorites artist. The political and social caricatures Ralph Steadman is known for creating were only on show for a brief period of time, so it just so happened that he was in London at the time. After that, we all got together and headed to Pret A Manger for lunch. Pret A Manger is a coffee restaurant that also offers sandwiches, salads, and other lunch-related items for takeout. Some of us decided to go on a walk to look for postcards while we waited for our meeting time in the hotel lobby. When we did, we realized we still had more time, so we continued exploring. The Sunday League is an adult soccer league that only exists in England and is renowned for its intensity and lack of quality. We also discovered a little bookstore and a grocery store. Overall, it was a positive way to round off our enjoyable trip in London. But when it came time to leave for Paris, we packed our bags and suitcases and headed to the Kings Crossing train station. We walked a short distance and arrived quickly at the railway station. We had some extra time, so I went to a little grocery store to buy some snacks for the two-hour train trip. I sat next to Ryan Severe on the crowded train after passing through security and having our passports checked and stamped. We got very unlucky and had crying kids and kids running up and down the aisle. But we were not as unlucky as Kyle, who got woken up mid nap by a kid grabbing his legs. The train was mostly filled with French people and families traveling home from a weekend in London and I don’t blame them. Once we got to Paris, we made our way to the Paris Metro, which wasn't too difficult to find, and then we headed for our hotel. Without a hitch, we boarded the train, arrived at the hotel, and completed the check-in process. Peyton found it difficult to sleep because the bed was too small for someone as tall as he is. After that, we went to a small restaurant close to the hotel for dinner. We sat outside, which was nice. We returned to the hotel after dinner so that we could get some much-needed rest before our first day in Paris.

Tuesday May 23- Paris

 We began today a bit later so we were able to sleep in. So far, the breakfast has been super good in Paris. Each morning I got a baguette with cheese and some sort of salami. Our day began at the French Open where we watched a 19 year old American play against a 26 year old woman from Spain. This was the preliminary rounds but it was still an exciting game to watch. We also got to look inside the larger stadiums, where the final matches will be played, and watched a tennis player warm up for a few minutes. It was much colder and cloudier than we expected so a few people bought sweatshirts or merch from the store. 

After the French Open, we set out to find lunch. A bunch of us all crammed into this little sandwich shop. There was a bit of a language barrier and the entire menu was in French so it was a bit difficult to understand what food we were ordering. They put ketchup on Selby’s vegetable and cheese sandwich which seemed like a weird combination. Versailles was our next stop! We took the train out and the palace was stunning. It was enormous and we couldn’t believe that people genuinely lived there at one point in time. My favorite room was the Hall of Mirrors. They had different apartments designated for various kings or queens. Each apartment was very ornate in decoration. Lots of the ceilings were painted and the rooms had gold accents. We looked it up and learned everything within the palace was equivalent to over 50 billion dollars! The equestrian portion of the Olympics will take place at Versailles. I’m super excited for this because, while we didn’t get to enter the gardens, they looked beautiful. 

We made our way back to the Eiffel Tower area and walked around to buy postcards before our fantastic dinner. The Versailles group ended up running into Josh at a little cafe! We all caught up at a group dinner at 20 Eiffel, a michelin grade restaurant. It was a three course meal where we pre-picked our meal ahead of time. A bunch of people in the group tried escargot as an appetizer. My personal favorite course was the dessert where I enjoyed a crème brûlée. The dinner was bitter-sweet because it was our last night with Professor Ryan (we miss you Professor Ryan!). We ran to catch the 9pm river cruise and just barely missed it! Luckily, we were able to easily hop on the next cruise. The cruise went along the Seine so we got to see everything from the water including the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame, and the Louvre. As it got darker out, the city began to light up. A portion of the river cruise followed the same course that the Opening Ceremony will take place. We got back to the hotel pretty late so a few of us hung out on the balcony before going to bed. We attempted to see the Eiffel Tower from the balcony but the side of the building was in the way.

Day 8 in Paris

 Today we were able to get a bit of a later start so we were able to sleep in a tad. We started our day at the French open preliminary rounds. I have never seen a professional tennis match so it was pretty cool that the French open was my first one. I really enjoyed watching the women’s matches. It was so cool to see how many matches are all happening at the same time. It’s also crazy how distinguished the event itself is, even the kids in the court helping with the collection of the tennis balls had all may hung outfits and they all hade the same mannerisms. While we were there we also ran into recent Syracuse sport management alum Alex Guo! Crazy how we ended up in Paris at the same time. 

Next we were off to Versailles! After the hour long train ride, we walked through a beautiful walkway of trees to arrive at the building. I was a tad disappointed to see that it is under construction. I am amazed by all of the gold accents on the gates and on the outside of the building, it’s crazy how shiny it is. I enjoyed all of the rooms we walked through, they were all so different and all very elegant. My favorite room on the first floor was one that had white walls and blue and and pink moldings all over the room. The back wall had a very large mirror. There were also a lot of rooms that were decked out in gold accents and even molding on the walls and ceilings. Once we got to the top floor a lot of the rooms started to look the same but almost every room had beautiful paintings on the ceilings. It’s incredible how detailed the painting are. I can’t even imagine how much time they took. Selby looked up how much Versailles would cost in USD today and it was $50.7 billion! We then got a peak at the garden-where the 2024 Paris Olympic equestrian events are being held- but we did not have tickets to that area. The peak of the garden we did see was really pretty. They had a huge fountain behind the building. 

After Versailles, we all went to group dinner at 20 Eiffel. It was really good food and it was pretty fancy, we had to order our three courses a day in advance. Finally after dinner we went on our Seine river cruise. It was really cool to see all the stuff we got to see during the day at night. We were able to se the construction on Norte dame up close and the Louvre from the other side. We even got the see the Eiffel Tower all lit up. We did get very cold on the top of the boat! Most of us stayed on top if the boat and the others were down inside the boat. Inside they had audio guides to listen to as we traveled along the river.