Our class trip to Paris was the excursion I had most looked forward to before the trip began. However, I quickly realized that I actually dreaded the major tourist attractions. Paris felt like a tourist town, which made it hard to relax and gain a better understanding of true French culture. The Paris Metro was also extremely difficult to navigate—we ended up taking the wrong trains several times.
We spent most of the day in Versailles. After briefly exploring the palace, we spent the majority of the afternoon wandering through the gardens and other estates. I did enjoy Versailles, but once again, being in such a tourist-heavy environment took away from the experience for me.
The highlight of the day came on the train ride back. Everyone was exhausted and in low spirits when one of my classmates pulled out a deck of cards he had bought earlier that day. I jokingly asked, “Can you do a magic trick?” To my surprise, he replied, “Yes, I actually can,” and began shuffling the deck.
He walked over to our TA and laid out the cards, saying, “Pick a card.” After some laughter—he had dropped the deck on the train—he began the classic routine: “Is this your card?” She kept saying no. Eventually, he pointed to a small pile of cards he had set aside and said, “What if I told you your card is in this discard pile?” Everyone chuckled and began losing hope that the trick would actually work.
Then he said, “Hold this discard pile tight,” and slapped the pile in her hand. Cards scattered across the dirty Brussels train car—except for one left in her hand. The 3 of Diamonds. Her card. A surge of joy and laughter filled the train car, and just like that, the group’s energy was revived.
This moment reminded me that the real travel experience is not visiting all the famous landmarks, but in the joy of shared experiences, especially with friends, even if you met just a week ago.
