Why did you decide to go to Europe?

To expand my horizons and learn about different cultures.

Can you name some of the places or things you saw?

I’ve seen the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Duomo which is a big cathedral church in Italy, and I even licked the Coliseum twice just so I could say that I did that.

What things did you learn, if anything?

I learned a lot of things that are random such as you can’t cut salad because it’s considered impolite. I learned some languages and can even order gelato in Italian.

What were some of the difficulties you faced?

There was a lot of walking. It was exhausting. We probably walked about three miles each day that we were there.

Which monument or attraction had the most impact on you?

I went to the beaches in Normandy, France which is where the events of D-day occurred. There is a lot of historical significance. We went to the American cemetery. It made me feel sad but also very patriotic.

How hard was it to interact with the native citizens?

With some of them it was really easy. Spanish people were much nicer. They would understand that you were trying to speak their language and help you out. French people kind of had the mindset that because you didn’t speak their language they didn’t want to talk to you.

How did you get around from place to place?

We had this really nice coach or bus and we took ferries to a lot of places. Obviously, we rode in a plane to get to Europe.

What types of new foods did you try, if any?

I tried escargot. It’s snails and you get this special fork to scoop the snail out. It was really good. I also had frog legs. We didn’t have sauce with them so they didn’t really taste like anything except for bland chicken nuggets.

What surprises did you find?

We went to the beach one day and we dug for clams. We went home and cooked them for part of our dinner.

What differences did you see in the way people did things there from how we normally do things?

People there have no problem kissing strangers on the cheek. People there are much more touchy and friendly.