Background:

It seems like all travel stories seem to start with some amazing motivation for why people choose the specific countries they go to and what specific places in those countries they want to go to. This is not one of them. And hearing more about the other trips I've done will drive that point home even further.

The story starts one brisk February day in 2019. Everyone had already made plans for their senior year spring break trip. I didn't want to spend my last free break at home in New Jersey so I did what any reasonable person would do. I went on Google Flights and looked at great travel destinations around the world. I had some inspiration from friends to check out Europe, specifically Amsterdam. So I looked flights and found that it was only $481 and there were only 2 tickets left at that price. So I called up my roommate at the time, Pranay, and another friend Matthew and we all agreed to take a semi-impulsive trip to Europe.

We had rough outlines for what countries and cities we were going to hit and in what timeline we wanted to do it in. This was our first time traveling alone though so we didn't have too much practice in actually planning every single day of our trip. As you'll be able to tell by these pictures, stories, and countries we visited, the trip was more haphazardly put together than actually planned out with must see sites in mind.

Brussels, Belgium


Our first stop in Europe was not actually Brussels. We had one day before where we spent in Den Haag and Rotterdam and took a night Thalys train to Brussels.

When we woke up in Brussels the next day, we were not too sure what we wanted to do, where we could walk since we didn't have any sort of transportation, or what the tourist sites were. We started our day in La Grand Place, which is the central square of Brussels. The picture on the right is one of several beautiful buildings on this easily accessible square, with numerous tourist spots nearby. Both pictures below are also short walks away from the square with the one on the left being the Grand Palace. 

We also stopped by the European Union headquarters where we took a tour to learn more about what they do and how they operate. Afterwards, we stopped by a pub for authentic Belgian cold ones (beers) with the boys and made our way over to the train station to catch our next Thalys train (in first class) to Paris. 

Paris, France


We spent four full days in Paris where we did a lot of walking and a lot of typical sightseeing. Of course, no trip to Paris is complete without seeing the Eiffel Tower. Since this is such an iconic sight, we made it one of our last stops in the city after the other fun adventures we had planned.

In Paris, we chose to embrace our inner Parisian selves and drink lots of quality wine from the local convenience store, eat lots of baguettes with fromage, and find a restaurant that serves that big wheel of cheese for fancy dinners.

Some of the various places we went to in Paris included: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Sacre Cœur, Versailles, Champs Elysees, Sainte Chapelle, Les Invalides, and Bastille. So we obviously made the most of our time in the city. Each place had it's own beauty that unfortunately I can't discuss in detail.

There are actually two specific stories I remember distinctly relating to the Eiffel Tower. The first came on one of the earlier nights, when we were walking down the Champs Elysees to Arc de Triomphe and went up to the top of the Arc. We happened to get there perfectly in time for us to be able to see this very light show at the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately my phone died in that exact moment, but trust me when I say it looked beautiful. The second story was actually when we went up the Eiffel Tower itself. When we were at the top and coming down, we got an email saying that our train to London the next day was cancelled so we were stranded. In the time of the elevator ride down, we managed to book cheaper plane tickets for the next day AND request a full refund from Eurostar.

Fun Fact: This picture of the Eiffel Tower is ILLEGAL. Check out this informational Youtube video to see why! 

Paris, France


Well we all know what happened to this old building. This picture was taken on March 10, 2019 by myself. Just over a month later, as we all know, on April 15, 2019 the old 900-year old church caught on fire and got to an almost irreparable state before it was extinguished.

Looking back at my Snapchat and Instagram memories from the day of my visit is like a flashback in time as I was able to see the church in its full might and glory during a normal Sunday service. These are now rare memories that I treasure.

We were able to visit the top of the cathedral and see the spire under renovations, the gargoyles perched on the ledge, and the entire Parisian skyline directly in front of me. We were able to hear the famous organs during the prayers of the patrons inside while maintaining the typical solemn mood of a Sunday church service. Notre Dame is a magical place to step foot in and witness history through the ages.

My heart breaks for the people of Paris, the people affected directly, and for those that were hoping to visit this beautiful cathedral themselves sometime in the near future. 

I sincerely hope that the restorations are possible and this magnificent building is back up and running soon.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands


Amsterdam was the full reason I embarked on this trip with Matt and Pranay. I had heard so much about this beautiful country and city that I wanted to see it for myself. Sadly, with the timing of things, I only had one full day to spend here.

I made sure that we made good use of our time. We started first thing in the morning by going to the city square where the Royal Palace, or Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam was. In that square alone, there are a plethora of historical monuments to see. However, we started our day by visiting the Royal Palace.

After that, we stopped by a restaurant for authentic Dutch pancakes which were AMAZING. Afterwards, we strolled down the streets of the square to look for small souvenirs for friends and family. We saw the famous Red Light District here lining the canals through the streets as well.

I parted ways from Matt and Pranay here and went on my own mini adventure and discovered North Amsterdam on the other side of the river and had a blast walking around aimlessly and seeing historic buildings. Afterwards, we all caught up and went to the Heineken museum where we were taken through the process of creating a beer and got a free tasting as well.

I do wish I had more time here to see other sights like the Anne Frank Museum or Van Gogh Museum, but I do cherish my time in this beautiful city.
Shankar Inc.