This is Juliet, with one final post for our French travel study course...
After saying most of our goodbyes the night before, today (Monday 6/3) was our departure day! Molly, Elizabeth, and Hally all got up super early to head to the airport so that they could catch their 7am flight to Nice. Patrick also left early, catching a morning flight back to Montreal. Dari and Graecia were close behind, heading together to Copenhagen to continue their European adventure.
I left the hotel around 8am with Maggie, Matt, Leo, Liesel, Maeve, and Erin, to escort the group as far as the RER, which would take them directly to the airport. It has been such fun watching the whole group get increasingly comfortable navigating the French public transportation system, and everyone travels like a pro!
We traded some hugs and goodbyes, and then I spent just a little bit more time walking around Paris, both to kill some time before my afternoon train and to catch some final glimpses of the beautiful city. I took one last walk across the Seine, picked up a few last-minute souvenirs, and made one final trip past Notre Dame, where most of the group had lunch together on our very first day in France. Standing by myself in front of Notre Dame, I thought back on all the excitement that everyone brought to that exhausting first day, and I was filled with gratitude for all of the curiosity, positive energy, and kindness that everyone in the group continued to show throughout our time together.
I went back to the hotel to pack up and check out, and then Eliot and I traveled together to Gare du Nord, where he hopped on the RER to the airport and I grabbed a train to go visit my sister Nancy, who lives in Oxford, England. It was definitely bittersweet to say goodbye to the last of our close-knit group, but I did enjoy catching a long-overdue nap on my train ride!
Our group packed in so many experiences during our two weeks in France, and it wasn't always easy. We had plenty of early mornings, late dinners, long walks, and rainy afternoons, and we had to persist through an array of challenges as we negotiated language barriers, tried unfamiliar foods, and dragged suitcases through stubborn metro turnstiles. But we also balanced that out with a lot of friendship, laughter, and learning, and Patrick and I truly couldn't have asked for a better group to come along with us on this adventure. Thanks to all of you who followed along with our group from afar, and I hope you enjoyed hearing about our travels and all of the many things we learned through our adventures.
In closing, enjoy some final photos -- a sampler from our trip... Au revoir!
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