the emilys and cara take europe

a picture a day study abroad summer 2014

[emilygrunder]

I can't believe I'm home from Europe already. When can we go back?

[emilygrunder]

After almost a full 24 hours of travel I finally made it back home last night. It's great to be back home.

[emilygrunder]

Saying goodbye to Differdange made last night a sad one. We did a tour of the bofferding brewery before ending the night at Das Boot

[emilygrunder]

After being abroad for six weeks I still believe that the USA is the best country around. Watching them play Belgium on one of our last nights in Differdange.

[emilygrunder]

Today we got back into our routine in Differdange, although it's short-lived since we leave in three days. Even with the mountain of homework we have to do, it's nice to enjoy the little time we have left in Luxembourg.

[emilygrunder]

Sunday was day two of Rock a Field for us. We saw Wiz Kahlifa, The Hives and Kings of Leon.

[emilygrunder]

On our way back from Cologne Saturday, a bunch of Germans in lederhosen wanted Emily to take a picture of them. We fell in love with the German people already since they are some of the friendliest we've interacted with but the fact that this group of men stumbled off a train drunk at 10am just made us love the country even more. Once back in Luxembourg, we went to Rock a Field, a music festival in the city where we saw Ellie Goulding and Skrillex.

[emilygrunder]

On Friday we explored the adorable city of Cologne and walked around Old Town looking for some German pretzels which are harder to find than you would think. We eventually gave up and just had a beer in one of the many town squares.

[emilygrunder]

Thursday we traveled to Cologne where we watched the USA play Germany at a pub there. After the game we headed back to the hotel and changed to go out at night. We made a friend named Christian who showed us great places to go and had maybe a little bit too much fun.

[emilygrunder]

[emilygrunder]

With only 9 nights away from home left in this trip, every day counts. I have been continually trying new things and looking back it feels like an out of body experience. This has been the greatest adventure of my life and I am definitely not ready for it to end just yet.

[emilygrunder]

We spent our last day in Italy at the Piazza Navona!

[emilygrunder]

Today we saw St. Peter's Square and Basilica plus the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. It was all as incredible as we expected but the biggest surprise was the amazing restaurant we stumbled upon for dinner near the colosseum. Of course I had pasta, wine and homemade tiramisu. When in Rome right?

[emilygrunder]

Ciao Roma! Today we explored the Colosseum and the Roman Forum then climbed the Spanish Steps. The fact that the Trevi Fountain was closed for construction didn't stop us from making wishes.

[emilygrunder]

Our last night in Paris required more macaroons. We stopped in Ladurée to get more before heading to Lido with our school group.

[emilygrunder]

Today was a busy day in Paris. We walked le champs élysées and did a little bit of shopping and the macaroons at Laudurée were as amazing as Blair Waldorf claimed they would be in Gossip Girl. We also saw the Obelisk and walked around the Louvre.

[emilygrunder]

I could explore Paris for weeks and never be bored. Yesterday we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and also saw the Notre-Dame