Mehi Adventures: Working and playing in Europe

[Emily] I’m reflecting on my trip to Europe (May 2011) as I sit in my hotel for my last night in Paris. What a crazy trip this has been! It was exciting, challenging, fun, stressful, and amazing all at the same time.

I got the opportunity to travel for work; Carlson has ownership in a hotel company called Rezidor and a travel agency called Carlson Wagonlit Travel. The international tax team at Carlson files the US tax returns for these entities and their subsidiaries. With a co-worker, Liz, I spent four days working in Brussels, Belgium which is the location of Rezidor’s headquarters. Then we spent a week and a half working in Paris, the headquarters of Carlson Wagonlit Travel. We spent time working on tax returns, having meetings, and—the fun part—lots of “networking”. On a normal work day, we woke up at 6am and did not return to the hotel until 11pm. Even though I was tired at night, it took me about a week to adjust to the seven hour time change so I would often wake up in the middle of the night and feel like it should be daytime.

Antwerp train station

We had one fun day in Belgium and I can attest to their amazing chocolate. Our hotel was in Antwerp where we saw lots of diamond window displays. We spent the weekend in Paris, so a total of four fun days were allowed partly because of their Ascension Day holiday (before you get upset about the extra holiday, we didn’t get Memorial Day off while we were over here). We stayed in Carlson Radisson Blu hotels and they were amazing in both locations. The concierge boys were our best friends since they spoke English and gave us excellent advice on how to spend our free time.

Arc de Triomphe from La Defense

It seems that everything in Paris has meaning. For example, the Louvre, the Tuileries Gardens, the Luxor Egyptian obelisk, the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe and the La Defense Arc in the business district are all in a straight line which points to the king’s hunting lodge. There are amazing architecture, fountains, and pieces of art all over the city which all hold some symbolic meaning.

The Louvre

We arrived in Paris on Friday night so the weekend was ours to play. On Saturday, we walked to the Eiffle tower, the Champs-Elysees, and the Arc de Triomphe, which were all within close walking-distance of our hotel. We also took a train to see Moulin Rouge, and Monmonte and the nearby artist’s square. In the evening we got dinner at a quaint little café. On Sunday, we did more shopping on the Champs-Elysees and went out for a nice dinner. On Thursday, we had the day off for a public holiday so we went to the Louvre, which is hands-down my favorite place in Paris. The quality and quantity of artwork that the former palace holds is stunning. After the Louvre closed, we walked to Notre Dame and to get the ‘best ice in Paris’ at a place called Berthillion.

On Saturday, I was in Paris alone so I made my pepper spray accessible and boarded the Metro train system in order to return to the Notre Dame and go inside this time. I ate at a little café, people watched, and shopped until the heat convinced me to return to my hotel. A few of the cultural differences I noticed while people watching (and in general) included seeing fewer overweight people, using unisex bathrooms, smelling serious BO, and finding very few places that have clocks.

It is so bizarre not being able to speak the language nor read the signs. Liz and I were quite proficient at riding the metro system by the end of the trip and learned a few important French phrases. Apparently, two blonde Americans really stand out in Paris as we received lots of cat-calls and other unwanted attention. It is amazing how you bond with people that speak English when you are far from home. I met people from Canada, New Zealand, New York, Brazil, and I’m sure others.

For those of you that care to know what is happening in the fashion capital of the world…. The color of the moment is definitely orange and the footwear of choice is gladiator sandals. If you ever get the chance to go to Paris and haven’t gone before, I would be happy to share with you the few tricks that I learned and my must-have packing list.