Aero: Amanda Vitale – France 2018 – Travel

Posted by LEAF Architect on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Aero: Amanda Vitale – France 2018 – Travel

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Amanda Vitale

Traveling to France was an opportunity of a lifetime for me. I have not travelled across seas until this trip. I actually haven’t travelled much at all prior to this excursion. This made me a little uneasy and anxious with what to expect while traveling. I have never been away from my parents and family for this long either. I typically stay in and rarely leave my hometown.

Relating to this, I think this travel has made me a more independent person. I believe I’m much more self-dependent now than what I was previously to leaving. I had to go out and buy a suitcase for this trip, since I don’t typically travel.

Packing for the most part, was a last-minute thing. I remember staying up and packing the whole night before going to the airport. Surprisingly, I remembered everything and was content with the amount of clothing I packed. I believed I overpacked with a few unnecessary things though. For example, I packed heavy rainboots that I didn’t even wear once, along with double the amount of shampoo and conditioner I actually needed.

I’ve also never been on a plane before this voyage so that was a new and exciting experience for me. At the airport, the security processes where not as nerve-racking as I expected them to be. We all went through them rather fast and easy. We had to take two separate planes to get to France. The first plane was small and crowded and my first-ever plane ride experience. I would say that the takeoff was quite terrifying in the small plane, along with the rough and bumpy landing. The second plane was much larger and smoother and on top of that a longer flight. I enjoyed this flight much more, especially since my friend gave me his window seat. Once we arrived in Paris, our transportation was relied on the subway and by foot

Traveling on the subway, reminding me of how I traveled while in New York City, but it seemed to be a little classier in Paris. We took a highspeed train to Vitré from Paris which I was very thrilled about. I have never been on a train prior to this and especially not a highspeed. The train was about a two-hour journey. I do remember feeling a little sick in the beginning due to how fast we were traveling on ground. Thankfully, this went away rather quickly.

Once in Vitré, our small group took the bus to travel to certain areas. For example, we traveled by bus to the Normandy beaches, Mont Saint-Michel, Saint-Malo, and many more interesting places. The buses we traveled in were small but clean. I remember that no eating was allowed on the bus, or really on any public buses in France, which is different than the United States. In the US eating on public buses is known to be a lot more common.

Overall, the travel to and within France was an amazing journey to encounter. Now since I’ve overcome my slight fear of traveling away from home, I hope to travel back and explore more of France and Europe.

Amanda Vitale
Study Abroad – France 2018 @ FLCC

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