Kahvi ja Poro: Europaan Matka! Europe Trip!

As you all know already, I took a trip to Europe from May 19- 21. I am finally blogging about it. I just have to stay straight off that I had an amazing time, and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity by my aunt Shellie. She's awesome. Also, I am grateful to my parents for letting me go, even though sometimes I exasperate them to the extreme. Love you guys!

Plane from Turku to Brussels

Flying over Finland. It is really difficult to tell when you are over Finland and not just islands because there is so much water inland.

Random flying

Turku airport

To start off my trip, I took the train from Kouvola to Turku, from Turku flew to Brussels, Belgium, from Belgium I took the train to Amsterdam, and from Amsterdam to Paris, and then back to Brussels.

It was a fast trip, and we tried to pack in as much stuff as possible in the few days we had, but it was not nearly enough time. Months would be needed to really experience all the history of Paris and Amsterdam without living there. I think these pictures do the trip justice, even though we weren't even allowed to take pics in my favorite museum, which was the museum of the Jewish people in France. I also don't have any pictures of Brussels because I didn't do anything there.

I got to my aunt's hotel the day after I landed in Brussels because I misunderstood the shuttle schedules and took the shuttle from the airport to Charleroi instead of Brussels. So I waited in a cafe all night until 4.30 and then I took the train to Brussels. Trains are so cheap in Belgium! It was about 7,20 euro for an hour train ride! When I got to the hotel, Shellie and her friend Deb were still asleep, but Shellie and I ate breakfast and then we went to Amsterdam for the day while Deb went to Paris.

Name of the river in Amsterdam? Maybe the name of the bridge?

In Amsterdam, we didn't really "do" much. We went to the Anne Frank museum (awesome, and terribly sad), and the market, and to this pancake cafe that my uncle Tom really liked. I loved Amsterdam. It was such a beautiful city, with flowers and canals everywhere. Dutch is an odd language though.

Me in the square of Amsterdam.

On the train to Amsterdam!

Pancakes in Amsterdam! Mine was apple and cheese

In Paris we hit all the major stuff; Eiffel Tower, Arc d'Triumphe, Sacre Cour church. We tried not to have a major agenda though, so there wasn't any stress to get a lot done. We walked SO MUCH, just seeing the city and visiting little markets. We went to many cafes and drank probably gallons of coffee (Not as excellent as I would have liked). We didn't visit the Louvre Museum, because I chose to visit the Jewish museum instead. I did go see the inverted pyramids, but I didn't go inside. Next time!

Random river posing

And there definitely will be a next time. Now that my exchange is almost over, it makes me just want to travel more and see more amazing places. But right now, I kind of just want to go home and be somewhere where I don't have to try so hard. I want to be actually working towards goals and continue with my life. This year was just treading water. So while I am extremely said to leave, I am looking forward to coming home.