There’s More to Europe Than Great Food, Amazing Fashion, & Pretty Skylines.

Me at the Louvre!

All the things you hear about going to Paris and falling in love are absolutely true.  I know, I speak from first hand experience.

For those of you new here, I spent Easter and the following week in Paris with my sister who is studying abroad there.  We also spent the second weekend I was there in London (60£ round trip bus fare, how could we not?).  Words cannot express how much I loved this trip, especially since we did so much in the little time I was there.  Paris, especially.  It’s the most beautiful city I’ve ever been to, and I’ve had wonderful opportunities to visit other cities in Europe as well.  Paris is by far my favorite.

I gush about Parisian fashion here.  I raved about the food with my coworkers all week.  Now I hope to gush about everything else I saw and learned while I was there:

You can’t take anything “to go”
I was shocked to find that when I got off the plane in Paris. I wanted to grab a coffee (iced, in fact) quick and get back to my sister’s apartment.  She kind of chuckled and told me they don’t do that in France, except for at Starbucks or McDonald’s- both of which are American companies.  At first, I was shocked.  But as the week went on, I saw the appeal of staying put.  Enjoying your coffee with pain au chocolat (sweet bread filled with chocolate. YUM) while enjoying the company of your family or friends allows you to appreciate the simplest things a everything the city has to offer- food and good company.

The metro/subway/underground can be simple
Both Paris and London have incredibly easy public transportation, especially the metros.  By the second or third day in Paris, I was getting the different lines and where to transfer.  London offered a simple underground as well, and Angela and I were pros before we left.  There were very little transfers on both, and the names of the lines were in the direction of where you were going (not A/C/E OR 4/5/6).  Both even tell you when the next train is coming on an electronic board on the platform.  New York City, you should be taking notes.

Tradition is VERY important
In England, you know that the country has a Prime Minister and a royal family.  However, the Prime Minister actually “runs” the country.  My sister and I are still trying to figure out what the royal family does, but even if it’s not much, the tradition is the most important thing.  Since we don’t have that kind of history in the USA, I find the whole thing completely fascinating.  We can (and should) embrace our own traditions, whether it be on a nationwide, regional, local, or family level.  Without them, who are you as a person?

Cities don’t have to be so “angry”
Sometimes when I’m in New York City, it feels, I don’t know, angry. Maybe it’s because I’ve encountered rude people working in the subway, or people aren’t willing to help you if you get lost.  I didn’t experience that at all in Paris or London.  Many people talk about how rude the French are, especially to Americans.  I say FORGET THAT STEREOTYPE.  If you try and embrace the French culture, they will respect you in return.  That is the same for any other country or city in Europe, especially where they don’t speak English.  If you’re thinking about traveling abroad, get a basic language book and read up.  More often than not, you will be respected for your efforts.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned is how much I love to travel and see new places.  I can’t wait to go on my next European adventure!

Have you ever traveled abroad?  What are some lessons you learned while away?  How did you incorporate them into your every day life?

Here are a few of my favorite pictures that I took while away. For more pictures of my trip (350+ of them], click here :)

All I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

Do you remember that poster with the poem on it called “All I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten”? I do, vividly.  I was riding my bike this weekend and suddenly thought of it when some young girls in my neighborhood smiled excitedly and said, “Hi!” as I rode past them.  I thought about those girls for the rest of my bike ride and how blissful childhood can be.

As a child, you learn basic life lessons that transcend through your entire life time.  Grown-ups sometimes forget those lessons in order to gain professional and personal success.  But the girls that smiled at me as I rode my bike- no older than 10- smiled at me for no other reason than to be friendly and nice.  It’s amazing how far a simple smile can get you in life.

While I won’t sit here and go through the entire poem, I think the author lists some points that are inspiring and should always be remembered by all kids, big or small:

Clean Up Your Own Mess
Hate to start with a “negative” one (I’m just going in order of the poem), but this one is incredibly important to remember as an adult.  You MUST be able (read: mature) enough to admit when you made a mistake and do whatever you can to make it better.  Fall behind on a deadline at work?  Put in extra effort after that to show your boss you’re truly sorry.  Accidentally offend a friend?  Apologize to them and take them out to lunch to make up for it.  Regardless of the situation, if you’re not mature enough to clean up your messes, you have a long life ahead of you.

Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Everyone always tells you this: be a well rounded person.  I went to a university where under grad students were required to fill an insane core requirement in order to graduation, and while I was in college I hated it.  But now that I’m graduated and in the “real world”? I am so thankful that Loyola University Maryland made me take courses in Philosophy, Ethics, Theology, Art, etc. to prepare me for a life that’s not just Advertising and Marketing.  If you have a one-track mind and aren’t open to other walks of life, your success will be much more limited.

Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Jackie Adkins wrote (well, recorded) a great vlog post about impossible things.  Watch it, and I bet you’ll agree with him as much as I do.  Everyone should have “impossible” dreams.  Some dreams have to come true at some point.  Even if they don’t, if you don’t have those seemingly “impossible” dreams, what are you working for?  Life isn’t fun if you don’t have something to look forward to, something to achieve in your life.  So keep the dreams impossible and keep on truckin’.  Chances are, you’ll achieve something great if you do.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
I don’t have to explain that one.  You are nowhere without your family, friends, coworkers, and other communities. Always stick together.

Now, just like in kindergarten, I want to play a bit. Look at the poem, pick out a bullet (it can be one that I listed), and leave a comment with how grown ups can continue to embrace that life lesson.

(Yes, that little girl is me, at age 6. When I was in kindergarten, learning all I needed to know).