This week with IES we have visited several of the European Union Institutions in Frankfurt, Germany, Brussels, Belgium, and Paris, France. Everyday we had several meetings and some free time. Our meetings were at the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Commission, European Parliament, European Center for Institutional Political Economy, the Council of the European Union, Freidrich- Ebert Foundation EU Office, and IES Paris. I enjoyed my free time more than the meetings and took advantage of the free time in each city!
In Frankfurt, we had only 2 hours for free time and lunch. I took an elevator to the 54th floor of the Main Tower so that I can say I’ve seen all of Frankfurt! It was a spectacular view. Frankfurt is dubbed the “Manhattan” of Germany for its skyscrapers and also “Bankfurt” as it is the banking district and has been long before World War II.
Late Monday evening, our group arrived in Brussels, Belgium. I’ve visited Brussels with my family and my twin sister studied abroad in Brussels last spring. I did not remember how large Brussels actually is. There is a distinct divide between the Old Town and the European Union, known as the lower town (with historic buildings) and the Upper Town (known for the institutions of the EU).
The best part of Brussels, for me, was the food. I enjoyed the waffles-both Belgium and liege- with chocolate, bananas, ice-cream, and even goat cheese (definitely a gourmet waffle).
I took the “all-touristic” photo in front of the peeing Mannequin Pis, walked around the Grand Place at all times of the day, visited the Royal Palace, gawked at the Mercedes House of Brussels (I picked out my graduation present), and toured the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (expo on Venetian and Flemish Art and Contemporary Hungarian art to honor the new EU rotating presidency of Hungary).
I loved walking through the charming small streets of the lower town and darting into the small shops. The highlight of my stay in Brussels was eating atop the Museum of Musical Instruments. The restaurant overlooked all of Brussels!
The view was fantastic, the meal was very good, and the service was wonderful. I continued to eat very well when we arrived in Paris.
Paris, Paris, Paris- one of my favorite European cities! There are so many places to visit, things to do, meals to enjoy, and more! To say I made the most of my time is an understatement. Thanks to my Mamma, who has been to Paris 5 times now, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I hit the city as early as I could and for as long as I could for the few days we visited. I was happy I did not have to be a tourist waiting in line and enjoyed the Parisian life with fine meals and desserts.
After our first day of meetings, I visited the Museé de L’Orangerie. Museé de L’Orangerie houses paintings by Monet, Renoir, Picasso, and other impressionists. It was spectacular, especially with Monet’s water lilies on curved walls.
I walked across the Seine at sunset and visited the Eiffel Tower.
That evening, I dined at Chez Ferdinand- green bean salad with pine nuts and tossed in vinaigrette, roasted duck, potato gratineé with mango and apples, and chocolate soufflé. I told the waitress my mamma and sister had previously dined at the restaurant when they were last in Paris, so the staff insisted I have an espresso and amaretto. It was such a wonderful meal and great way to enjoy Paris.
Saturday, the program gave us an entire free day! I visited Sacre Couer, Monte Marte, and Place du Terte in the morning. Sacre Couer is a gorgeous Basilica atop a hill that overlooks all of Paris. Unfortunately the dome was closed to get an even better view, but I loved everything I saw!
Then, I set out through the small side streets beyond Sacre Couer to Place du Tetre. I’ve been wanting to visit Place du Terte for 2 years now, specifically for the artist Adam Mezinski. I’ve received two felt pen sketches by Adam Mezinski and was excited to meet my favorite Parisian artist. I made sure to buy more art from him and take a picture with him!
In the afternoon, I had lunch (pasta with gorgonzola crème and pear) at Tribeca (another café Mamma and Sarah recommended) along Rue Clèr, a beautiful Parisian street lined with cafes, bookstores, floral shops, and cheese shops.
I walked along la Seine, across pont Alexandre, around the Grand Palais, petit Palais, Musee D’Orsay, Norte Dame, and St. Germaine.
I also made sure to visit Saint Chapelle. The line was about a 1 and a 1/2 hours wait, but it was bearable with chocolate and coffee ice-cream.
That evening I enjoyed another wonderful meal located on the same street as Chez Ferdinand. The street at night is filled with so much energy and excitement!
Sunday was our last day in Paris. We left around two in the afternoon, so I made sure to wake early and visit several more places I didn’t get to see on Saturday. The Royal Palais was several metro stops from our hotel and a greats tart to the morning. I enjoyed the courtyard, especially the silver balls that reflected the art nouveau architecture.
The Louvre is not far from the Grand Palais, so I walked through the courtyard, across La Seine, and to Luxembourg Gardens. Luxembourg Gardens was spectacular!
Sunday morning is popular running time for Parisians and Luxembourg Gardens is “the” place to run. I shared the winding paths through the meticulously placed trees and gorgeous, large water fountains.
From Luxembourg Gardens, I made my way through the small city streets window-shopping and taking pictures. I found the Patisserie de Reves on 93 Rue du Bac, recommended by Budget Travel as one of the best Parisian artisan bakers. I can affirm that they are the best! I ordered the Grand Cru, a chocolate mousse dessert with hazelnut.
I walked, in hand with my dessert to the parc de Champ de Mars and la Tour Eiffel, where I enjoyed the most wonderful dessert I’ve ever had! It was the best way to end my time in Paris before an 8+ hour bus ride back to Freiburg, Germany. What a trip! I had the best time and am grateful I had the opportunity to go to a second time to all the cities!
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