Hello,

 My name is Luis and I am going into my second year of classes at Umass Lowell. Whenever I was allowed to study abroad, I jumped at the opportunity. I have been enjoying San Sebastian, and after the first couple of days, it has not felt like I am in a foreign country. San Sebastian feels like somewhere where I have been before, although I have never been to Europe before coming here. For a couple of weeks before coming to Spain, we knew that there would be a long weekend given to us to explore other nearby cities and towns. A small group of us wanted that we wanted to explore and go to Paris, during that long weekend. Although we knew where we wanted to go, it took us until the week of the long weekend to book everything and plan everything out. 

Whenever we got to Paris, just being at the airport felt so different than it did in Spain, and incredibly different when compared to the US. I was kind of blown away by how big Paris is as soon as I exited the airport. Whenever I placed the directions from the airport to my hotel, It said 2 hours away taking multiple trains, and that blew my mind. San Sebastian in comparison is a very small town that you can go from anywhere in the city to the other side in probably half an hour or less using public transportation. Due to the topic of the Olympics, and everything presented in the media being presented about people from France not liking tourists at the moment, I was unsure of what to expect. My first impression of the people was how professional a lot of people are. This professionalism is expressed by how they speak, and how they dress. A lot of people were wearing suits and professional clothing, which impressed me.

Since we arrived late in the afternoon, the first day was not very eventful. As a group, we went to dinner and called it a day. Since I do not speak or understand anything past Bonjour, reading the signs and trying to understand how the metros work was where I struggled the most. That first night I probably spent twice what I was supposed to during my commute to the city, due to how many times I was lost and unaware of where to go. I eventually figured it out and got to the middle of the city, and reunited with the rest of the group.

Our first stop on the second day was the La Galerie Dior, where we saw a lot of pieces and history about the brand Dior. During the Gallery, there are multiple purses, Dresses, and accessories about the brand that have contributed to the success of the brand, and it has elevated it to the level that it is today. The Gallery is beautifully designed, and it was really informative. Our next stop was the reason why we came on this trip, the Eiffel Tower. I was so excited because of how famous it is, and how special it was to be able to see it in person. The tower felt a little smaller than I thought it was going to be, but it was still spectacular to witness. Our next stop was Arc de Triomphe. Although unaware of this popular place, it was spectacular to see. One of the things that I have loved the most about France, is the architecture and infrastructure. It is so unique from other parts of the world, and seeing it in person was truly a dream come true. After this, we ended the day by getting some food from places in the city.

The third and last day consisted of doing some shopping at some of the stores and getting some coffee in the morning to kickstart our day. The first stop was the Louvre Museum, where we observed the historic museum from the outside. Unfortunately due to the amount of people that visited during that day, we were not able to get tickets as they had sold out before we got there. We observed the amazing architecture around the Museum, and then we headed to the Jardin des Tuileries. Unfortunately, we went when the Olympics were almost taking place, which meant that a lot of places were blocked off and there was construction happening, so the garden was closed. The same happened at the Parvis Notre Dame, the access to it was also restricted due to preparations for the upcoming Olympics. We stayed close and bought souvenirs to bring for those back home. It started to rain, and we went to eat at a restaurant close to home, and eventually, the night came, and we stopped exploring. I left Paris that same night and got to San Sebastian in the morning. 

Overall I enjoyed Paris and all the historic places that it has. What surprised me the most was the design of the city, and how different it is from the United States, and even the parts of Spain that I have visited. I would go back again with a little more time to explore if I had the chance. I definitely expect to be back in Europe and to visit Paris once again.