Day 2 in France...It's all about getting there

by Brode Lackey, marketing, senior

On Sunday, March 6, we landed in Paris around 11:00am. After leaving the airport we started our 3-hour journey across the countryside to Tours, France. Halfway through the trip we stopped off at a travel center that had a McDonald’s. I was curious to try McDonald’s to see if it tasted different from a similar meal in the United States. I got a quarter pounder which is called a “Royale with Cheese” because of the metric system. I also wanted to get this because of the famous scene from Pulp Fiction. The burger was great and tasted fresher than a burger from a regular American McDonald’s. After we ate, we continued our journey to the city of Tours.

On the way to the hotel, we drove down two of the main streets in the city and observed all the beautiful architecture and shops that lined the streets. We arrived at our hotel and unpacked our luggage and got settled in our rooms. The rooms were smaller than traditional American hotel rooms and the shower had a small glass partition rather than a shower curtain. Despite the subtle differences, the rooms were quaint and welcoming.

Around 7pm we sat down for dinner. I was excited to eat but, in all honesty, I didn’t have very high expectations for our meal. I figured that it was going to be basic and quick as a lot of the hotel restaurants in the U.S. The menu consisted of many different types of French dishes, and it took me a while to decide what I wanted to eat. As we contemplated the menu options the waiter brought out some delicious bread. He also served our water without ice which was odd at first but is quite common in Europe. After some consideration, I selected the duck breast with cranberry sauce and potato and parsnip purée. It was absolutely delicious, and I was blown away by the presentation and quality of the meal. Later that night after reflecting on the dinner we had, I was very impressed with the passion and intention that French chefs put into each meal they create.

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• Study Abroad