Tips, Tricks, & Advice – Page 6 – To GT-Europe…and Beyond!

GTL: Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming

Friday, February 18, 2022 | Written by Claire

Long Coat Cliché

Long coats are all the trend in France, especially since it’s cold and windy during the winter. In turn, to shield from the harsh cold while keeping stylish, almost all French people own a long coat, whether it be a trench or a puffer. When coming to France for the first time, it might be difficult to fit in, but as far as I’ve seen, if you wear a big, wool trench coat and walk around looking like you know what you’re doing, no one will think twice.

2. Sunday Stall

Most shops and restaurants are closed on Sundays in observance of the Holy Day. Only a few convenience stores open for several hours in the morning to early afternoon. In smaller French cities, this tradition is implemented more often than bigger cities such as Paris, especially restaurants in tourist areas.

3. Baguettes and Quiches Galore

Bakeries in Metz are famous for their fresh baguettes and quiches, which boast a variety of flavors such as fromage, salmon, and even spinach. Baguettes can be filled with various toppings such as ham, pesto, and tomatoes. When served fresh off the oven, the crispy melt of the cheese with the savory flavors blends in a delicious, mouth-watering mix of French authentic cuisine. While Paul’s is probably the nearest bakery to GTL, there are many others in Metz downtown that are the key to delicious baguettes and quiches.

4. Grocery Store Rendezvous

Sometimes when visiting the grocery store, just navigating the cheese and sausage section is a whole journey in and of itself. Finding what you want given the massive variety can be challenging, but it has its perks. The best cheese I’ve found so far is Comte, which is one of the most produced cheeses in France. But as far as sausages go, it’s best to widen your taste preference just to try some new flavors. Other than the things they have at the grocery store, the shopping culture is also slightly different. The French do not refrigerate their eggs and milk, so they can’t be found in the refrigerated aisles. Additionally, as the French government doesn’t allow the sale of packaged goods in bulk, shoppers are allowed to break open packages and take individual items. For example, if you see a pack of 6 milk jugs, you can break open the package and buy a singular milk jug.

5. French!

This might be obvious, but it is nice to have some French under your belt before coming to France. While it’s not impossible to get around, in smaller cities, many people can understand English but, its best to communicate in French. In big tourist-oriented areas, English is usually an option, but in Metz or any other small French city, hearing English is rare. Even the train stations and grocery stores, all announcements and signs are said and written all in French. So, taking a French class is a great idea.

6. Pocket Thefts

Getting pick pocketed in France is nothing of a rare occurrence. While Metz is relatively safer, traveling to Paris to catch train or flight connections can entail more caution than you would normally enforce. Out of the many GTL students that traverse Paris on the weekend, many have had their phones stolen or wallets snatched right under their noses. Pick pocket thieves use highly skilled and subtle tricks to allure your attention elsewhere. While you are intrigued by a dropped key ring or a peculiar scene on the streets, pick pocketer’s use these exact times to their advantage, so be careful and stay alert!

A Day in the Life of a GTL Student

Monday, January 31, 2022 | Written by Claire

9:30 AM: Bonjour!

As the sunlight starts to filter through the curtains and the deep rumbles of construction pass back and forth outside my window at the Lafayette dorm, I crawl out of bed for my first class of the day. Usually, the cold air outside is crisp, so I need to layer up. Bundled in a hoodie and long jacket, I make my way to the GTL building, a good 10-minute walk away from my dorm. On some days, if you’re lucky, you’ll see a peak of sunlight or a patch of blue skies; but most of the time, it’s just layers of grey clouds.

The GTL Building requires a quick scan of your ISIC card to get through the initial gate and then another tap to open the main doors. The floors themselves are split into different sections, with labs and study rooms on the first floor, and the rest of the classrooms above. The classroom doors are color coded to match the color on the initial schedule you receive at the beginning at the year. Somehow, I usually start in the Blue room, where the CO2 alarm ends up going off every once in and while, so I need to remain bundled in my layers. This mechanism is simply a COVID regulation and nothing too much to worry about.

12:00 PM: Lunchtime.

After my initial class and knocking out some Physics and French homework, it’s time for lunch. Usually, I’m starving by this point. GTL offers meals in the Crous Cafet on the first floor for around three euros, which is usually a hefty plate of pasta. Although I have not gone to the cafeteria often, it seemed to have the same pasta options of pesto or carbonara and a sizzling slice of pizza. The meal itself is mostly carbs and does not come with fruits or vegetables depending on the restaurant you go to. The most inconvenient part is that if you go around lunch hours from 11-1, the lines for each stretch out of the door. As students from the neighboring Technopole schools also share this dining service, the number of people who frequent Crous Cafet is massive.

To maintain a balanced diet, I often head back to Lafayette and cook up my own pasta meal. Throwing together some mushrooms, green peppers, sausage, steak, and some spices, spaghetti chow mien is my go-to. Not only is it flavorful, but it is also easy to make, with the pasta taking the longest to boil. All the ingredients can be easily bought at CORA at your convenience.

3:00 PM: More class, study sesh, and coffee!

After a quick lunch, I head back to the study lounge at the GTL building to finish up more assignments and hang out with other GTL students. The best part about the lounge is that it’s equipped with a full coffee dispensing machine with a multitude of interesting flavors. For just 45 cents, you can get a small cup of caffeine bliss, or you can get a larger cup for just 80 cents. If you bring your own mug, it’s even cheaper. The lounge also has a ping pong table for quick study session break or a pool table if you want to get competitive. The only downside is that it can get a little noisy as people start to work on their group projects, play ping-pong or just chat in the main room. It might be wise to bring some headphones if you want to get some serious work done.

Other than that, there are also universal power outlets for your computer or any electronic device, so if you forget your power adapter, no worries! There are also plenty of computers to use if your laptop ends up not working.

The purple to pink sunset it truly stunning

If you’re there long enough, you can probably catch a glimpse of the sunset in the giant windowpanes that stretch across the room. Could be a good way to end your day.

5:00 PM: Dinner feast

Around 5 PM, I start packing up and heading back to Lafayette after a long day of class and work. The Crous Cafe is also open for dinner at your convenience. Restaurants and cafes nearby the roundabout on the way back to Lafayette also have options for delicious quiches, pastries or even pizza. Mamma Mia Pizza is a go-to for many GTL students. Their endless menu of 16-inch pizzas and reasonably priced pastas are enough to feed two people on a hungry day. The pizzas themselves are nice and thinly made, with the crust crispy and delicious. The Pizzaiolo is my favorite so far. It is topped with layers of cheese, ham, chorizos, and peppers, and the best part is that it comes at a light price of only 13 euros for a maxi. Pretty good deal compared to the other pizza restaurants in the area. If you’re in the fast food mood, you can definitely hit up the Burger King, McDonalds, or KFC for a hefty meal as well.

7:00 PM: Cora Run

After dinner on Mondays, I tend to take a trip to Cora for some groceries. If you’re in the fast-food mood, you might as well grab dinner down there before heading to the market. GTL provides a free shuttle back to the dorms from Cora on Mondays so it’ll make your life easier than lugging jugs of milk back a mile back to Lafayette.

Cora itself is a super store with rows of clothing, aisles of pastries, and huge sections designated to pasta, alcohol, and French snacks. It has everything you can think of, including rolls of pink toilet paper. The vegetables there are fresh and the seafood section is nice and clean. Not only does it boost an array of crabs, snails, and fish, the meat section is paired with a huge corner of fresh cheeses and sausages. During the first week, I spent hours in Cora just exploring the different kinds of cheese and meats.

9:00 PM: Laundry

The laundry in Lafayette is definitely something hard to get used to. The weekdays are usually the least busy as there are only 3 washers and 2 dryers in the entirety of Lafayette. You also have to pay at least five euros for a proper wash and dry. If you end up doing your laundry at night, you should try to allocate some time as the dryers here offer a special “European dry” that requires you to hang up your clothes even after drying. If you want them to be in wearable condition, you probably need to run the dryer twice, which would take about one and a half hours.

12 AM: Snooze

By the time midnight rolls around, I’m heading to bed after another long day at GTL. While everyday will be different for each student, I can allocate some time to take day trips on Tuesday or Thursdays when I don’t have class. But overall, the greatest challenge at GTL is managing school-life balance and workload. Make sure you work hard but also play hard as GTL is the best opportunity to have the travels of a lifetime.

Linen Swap

Tuesday, November 23, 2021 | Written by Mira

Every other Tuesday, we have a “Linen Swap” and every other week I think wow, it seems like we just had a linen swap.

Pros of Linen Swap:

We get clean sheets every other week.
We don’t have to wash our own sheets.

Cons of Linen Swap:

I spend about 30 minutes every other week unmaking and remaking my bed.

On linen swap days, I have to mentally prepare myself for the task ahead. First, I strip my bed. I always wait until we have confirmation of linen swap on the specific day because the 1 (ONE) time I stripped my bed in the morning was the 1 (ONE) time linen swap was postponed. The three things included in a linen swap are the pillowcase, the flat sheet, and the duvet cover. From the people I’ve talked to about the linen swap, I might be the only person who actually stuffs the duvet into the duvet cover. A lot of people just lay everything on top of each other. I find that the duvet cover is more comfortable than the duvet itself, so that may be why my linen swap process is such an ordeal.

Stripping the bed isn’t the bad part, but we need to fold the sheets before bringing them to be swapped out. From personal experience, the duvet cover – my personal nemesis – is heavy! Trying to fold the duvet cover neatly is a feat in and of itself. Since I’m not quite 5 feet tall, the duvet cover is much longer than I am which makes the process quite difficult.

Once our sheets are folded, we can bring them to the common room of Lafayette. Due to COVID restrictions, we are limited to one person at a time in the common room. We place our neatly folded sheets in a laundry bag and collect our new sheets. It’s pretty simple and is usually the fastest part of the whole process for me. After returning to my room, I place the new sheets on a chair in my room, and take a deep breath before starting my mission: Operation Make My Bed.

* deep breath * Commencing Operation Make My Bed

First is the flat sheet. This is our “fitted sheet.” It is supposed to go directly on the mattress, and it’s what we sleep on so we aren’t directly touching the mattress. However, my bed is a little wider since I have the wheelchair accessible room, but my sheets are the same as all the others… which means my flat sheet is always slights too narrow to wrap my mattress neatly. I can usually wrap it under the top and bottom of the mattress, but it just rests on the sides. (I have woken up to many mornings of my flat sheet being completely pulled to one side of the mattress.)

Getting the flat sheet under the top of the mattress is also a feat, and usually involves some moving of the mattress itself.

Next is my least favorite part: fitting the duvet in the cover. As I mentioned, my bed is a little wider than what the sheets are designed for, and that extends to my duvet. My duvet is slightly wider than the duvet cover, and it’s not a perfect square. I lay my duvet on the floor next to my bed and count how many diamonds are in which direction (one side has three and the other has four). This helps me orient the duvet in the cover, but the cover is too narrow for the actually duvet and the edges are always a little squished.

Counting with my feet how many diamonds are in which direction.

Opening the duvet cover is tricky because the two sides are usually stuck together. Also since it’s too narrow, I try to starfish my body over the duvet, pulling it to the corners as best as possible, but it’s never a perfect fit.

The hardest part is getting the duvet inside the cover.

The duvet and cover are longer than my mattress, so I’m able to tuck it under the mattress which definitely helps my daily bed making process be as easy as possible.

When I transfer the duvet onto the bed, it usually undoes part of the fitted sheet, which only makes the process longer.

Third is the pillowcases, my reward for the whole duvet operation. Super easy since the pillows are square and match the square pillowcases. Lastly, I add the finishing touch of my fleece blanket (not included in the room, but I definitely recommend investing in one for the colder months). All done!

The finished product makes it all worth it.

This whole process takes me about half an hour, but I did hit a personal best of 17 minutes to make my bed. We have about two more linen swaps for me to improve my personal best, wish me luck!

How I Spent My Long Weekend

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 | Written by Mira

At GTL we follow the French holiday schedule. So, while we don’t have Thanksgiving off from classes, we got Armistice Day (November 11) off. A lot of people took this four-day weekend to travel a little farther than we would be able to on a normal three-day weekend. The freshmen even got to travel this weekend on their own. I, on the other hand, always have four-day weekends based on my course schedule, so this “long” weekend was a normal weekend for me. I had already planned on not traveling this weekend because I knew I would be exhausted from the week-long adventure to Eastern Europe.

Thursday

On Armistice Day, most businesses are closed, and the buses run on a Sunday schedule (limited). I woke up around 9:30am and searched for an open grocery store on google maps – Carrefour Express was open near the train station. I hopped on the first available bus to downtown and popped into the grocery store to grab a few essentials. The next bus back to Lafayette wasn’t for another two hours, so I walked across the street to Fox Coffee Shop to do some schoolwork while I waited for the bus. I also made a quick stop at the train station to purchase seat reservations for my Paris trip next weekend!

Flowers were placed in from of a memorial at the train station for Armistice Day.

The main task of the day: Statistics project. I had procrastinated this assignment during fall break because I was too busy traveling and too exhausted to work on it, but now the countdown began. I had 24 hours to complete the problem set. At 1:30pm, two classmates came to my apartment, and we started to grind it out. It took more than 12 hours, and I won’t disclose exactly what time I went to bed, but it was late enough that I learned not to procrastinate on the next project.

Friday

I woke up just before noon, starting my not-so-productive weekend. I walked to Auchan to do actual grocery shopping and did my laundry. I spent the rest of my Friday trying (and failing) to be productive.

My walk to Auchan was such an autumn aesthetic!

That night, I had dinner with a family in downtown Metz. They had recently traveled to New York and brought back a toy yellow school bus for their kids. They asked me if these school buses were also in Atlanta (yes), and if other cars on the road really stopped for the school buses (also, yes). In France, there aren’t buses dedicated to bringing children to and from school. Instead, kids use public transportation. I had gotten on a bus early one morning to go to the train station, and I walked on to see it packed full of middle schoolers!

Saturday

I spent my Saturday completing a few tasks here and there, but mostly catching up on some reality TV. It was super relaxing to sleep in and slow down a bit. If I would have been traveling this weekend, it would be a series of early mornings and overexertion, so being able to stay in bed all day was a nice change of pace. (It’s totally okay to slow down and take a break – you’ll thank yourself later!)

Sunday

My Sunday transpired very similarly to the previous two days. The gloomy, cold weather didn’t do much to help my productivity either, but I did manage to work on a physics lab. My sleep schedule had been a little bit messed up from that late night working on statistics, so I treated myself to a nap before completing my physics lab while watching a movie. I was also able to catch up with some friends from Atlanta and my parents (remember to call your parents!).

In Atlanta, I would usually have another monitor to watch a movie on while doing work, but since I don’t have it here, I had to adapt.

I may not have had the most productive or exciting weekend, but it’s okay to slow down and recharge, especially with finals rapidly approaching! It is important to find a balance between *study* abroad and study *abroad*.

Fall Break Part 2

Sunday, November 14, 2021 | Written by Mira

Budapest

We took an overnight train from Krakow to Budapest. To save money, we reserved seats in a compartment instead of beds. In hindsight, the beds would have been worth it as trying to sleep comfortably in a six-seat compartment with a stranger was nearly impossible. Although, the one good thing that came from the experience was being able to follow along with the last World Series game. I followed along, half-asleep at 4:00am to the last out (Go Braves!).

We arrived in Budapest and made our way to the hostel to drop our bags, change, and freshen up before an early lunch at the New York Café. This is an immaculately over-the-top decorated café that serves coffee with actual gold on top. Needless to say, it’s pretty expensive, so if you do want to experience the grandeur, go for breakfast or an afternoon tea. Live music made the whole experience worth it – imagine eating a fancy meal with a violinist playing a song from Pirates of the Caribbean.

If you zoom into the right-most and middle flags in the picture, you can see the holes.

After lunch, we headed to the Parliament building, one of the most iconic buildings in Budapest. While we took pictures in front of the building, we noticed a staircase leading to a memorial labeled “1956.” In the square in front of the Parliament building there is a memorial for those who passed when soldiers opened fire on a peaceful protest. The Parliament building still waves Hungarian flags with holes more than 50 years later to remember the tragic events that transpired there. We re-emerged into the square with a whole different perspective on what happened here, and a whole new appreciation for the rich history around every corner of Europe.

It was so cold outside, you can see the steam form the water!

The next stop of the day was a thermal bathhouse! I had no idea that spa culture in Budapest was so huge, but the popularity dates back to the Roman-era public baths. We went to the Széchenyi Thermal Bath (Budapest, Állatkerti krt. 9-11, 1146 Hungary) in the Pest side of Budapest, one of the more touristy, but grand locations. We got there two hours before they closed and got to enjoy the warm, outdoor pools under the stars. This was definitely one of the most relaxing and unique things I’ve done so far.

A quick side note: always, and I cannot stress this enough, buy a ticket for public transportation. Budapest takes public transportation VERY seriously. You don’t want to be the victim of an 8,000 Forint (about $20) fine for not having a subway ticket. Two of my friends had lost their 24-hr tickets, and the transportation guard found them before exiting. That being said, it is super easy to use the metro to get between the two sides of the river. We took it after the baths to see the Parliament building at night, shining against the water.

My instagram became a Budapest Parliament building fan-page.

The next morning, we split up into three groups: (1) go to Bratislava early, (2) go to Bratislava mid-day, and (3) stay in Budapest for the day. I opted for group three because there was just too much to see in Budapest to be satisfied with only one day. In the morning, we went to a market-hall area to grab breakfast on the Buda side of Budapest. From there, we took the tram south to the Buda castle with grand views of the entirety of Pest across the Danube River. We still had time before our train to Vienna, so we saw the rest of the Castle District. Walking around the Fisherman’s Bastion, I realized that my brother had been to this very spot during his study abroad semester, it was like sharing a moment of history with him.

Vienna

My subgroup arrived in Vienna a little after 6:30pm, and we met up with the others at our Airbnb. The best part about being in an Airbnb for the last bit of our trip was free laundry (minus paying for detergent). We had dinner at a small restaurant near our Airbnb and it was just as sweet as having a home-cooked family dinner.

The next morning, we explored some palaces in Vienna: the Belvedere and the Schönbrunn Palace. Both palaces were extravagant with so much greenery. Unfortunately, it was too late in the season to do the hedge maze at Schönbrunn – it would have been a very easy maze with the hedges thinned from the fall chill.

The highlight of our day in Vienna was an amusement park. For dinner, we ate at a “Roller Coaster Restaurant” (Riesenradpl. 6, 1020 Wien, Austria), where your food comes to you via a roller coaster contraption. After dinner, we walked around the amusement park and went on a few rides, including an indoor rollercoaster reminiscent of Space Mountain at Disney World. I ended my fall break with my stomach hurting from laughing (or screaming) so much. I’d say it was a pretty successful way to spend 10 days off from classes!

The rollercoaster tracks that your order comes to you on.

Studying Abroad with a Disability

When coming to GTL, one question on my mind was “can I study abroad with a disability?” In my search for a study abroad experience, I constantly came across “requirements” such as “Climbing stairs (elevators are not always available overseas)” or “Walking over very long distances” or “Carrying packed suitcases and other personal belongings with no help.” A common sentiment in the disabled community is that having a disability is not the issue, inaccessibility is.

In my first post, I casually mentioned that I am a part-time wheelchair user and that I cannot literally run around the world, but other than that, I’ve put on a façade of being pretty much non-disabled, and that changes right now.

Allow me to reintroduce myself: My name is Mira, I am a third-year biomedical engineering student, I have a disability and sometimes use a wheelchair. Even though I spent my whole summer working abroad, I was nervous to study abroad, being away from my medical comfort zone for such a long period of time. In Atlanta, I have housing accommodations and my wheelchair stays in my dorm room (instead of at my parents’ house) in case I need it urgently. I flip-flopped between deciding to leave my wheelchair at home or to take it abroad with me. I had never travelled alone with my wheelchair – how would I maneuver my suitcases through the airport? How would I get my bags at baggage claim in France? How would my wheelchair fit on the shuttle to GTL? I’d first like to debunk the “carrying packed suitcases with no help” requirement. There will be people to help you, and it’s okay to ask for help.

I worked with the Office of Disability Services to figure out how to transfer my accommodations to GTL (what would accessible housing look like?), and luckily the administration at GTL is incredibly welcoming and more than happy to help. I was able to secure a room designed for wheelchairs in the Lafayette Residence, access to the elevators at GTL, and peace of mind that my chair would make it between the airport and Metz. As an ambulatory wheelchair user, it was easy for me to transfer to the bus and keep my chair tucked underneath. If you aren’t ambulatory, it may take more planning, but I’m confident it won’t be an issue!

The next question I intended to tackle was “can I travel with a disability?” The short answer: yes. The long answer: yes with intense planning. The major form of transportation for GTL students are trains. When I bought the Eurail pass, I contemplated getting the 1st class ticket because some wheelchair travel blogs said it was 100% necessary, but others said it is perfectly fine to get the 2nd class ticket. After experiencing trains first-hand, I can say I definitely made the right decision to save money and buy the 2nd class ticket. There are wheelchair accessible 2nd class compartments, so don’t waste your money. The complicated thing about traveling via train is that depending on what country you’re in or going to, the mobility assistance procedure changes. The Eurail website has a great resource for all the train companies in one place, which can help you figure out how far in advance you have to let the train company know that you’re coming. Also, in almost every major train station I’ve been in, there has been a mobility assistance kiosk or room to help with any issues that may arise. Trains have specific sections that are wheelchair accessible and train station workers are there to help you with the technology to get on and off the train with a wheelchair. I have not yet done a weekend trip in my chair, but it’s nice to know it’s an option.

Sidewalk between Lafayette and GTL that includes curb cuts and tactile information.

Metz and disability? Every public bus I’ve been on has been wheelchair accessible. Curb cuts are pretty standard. Metz is fairly flat – you don’t have to worry about pushing yourself up too many hills. Tactile information is present, but the amount of it depends on what part of Metz you’re in. For example, GTL has a lot of tactile information outside the building, but the sidewalks leading to GTL have less.

Lots of stores in downtown Metz are up a step, but there are accessibility buttons that you can press to either activate a ramp or call an employee to bring a ramp.

The call button alerts the business of the need for physical access.

Accessibility is also incredibly abundant around Europe, but again, the quality and quantity depends on the country and city. For example, Amsterdam has a lot of tactile information around the main train station, but hardly any once you actually cross the street. Sidewalk quality varies around Europe and cobblestone can be tricky to navigate. Hilly places like Porto have stairs spread out around the city, but there are also cable car options to help get up the hills. Tourist attractions, such as castles and cathedrals generally have a miniature replica with braille information. I saw a lot of that in Krakow!

A miniature of the Budapest Parliament building with braille.

TL;DR It *IS* possible to study abroad with a disability, but it does take a little extra planning. GTL is a great place to study abroad because the administration is so welcoming and willing to help transfer accommodations from Atlanta to Metz. My study abroad experience with an exchange program might not have been as seamless if it was not with GTL or another GT faculty-led study abroad experience.

Views from Porto

Monday, October 25, 2021 | Written by Mira

After a pretty stressful morning including a 200-euro taxi due to a windstorm causing a cancelation of trains, we were in the air, headed to Porto, Portugal! Portugal was not on my wish list at the start of the semester, but when one of my friends asked if I wanted to go, I said why not! And I am so glad I did.

DAY 1

The Chapel of Souls with iconic blue tiles was our first sight emerging from the metro.

We landed around noon on Thursday and headed straight for our Airbnb area to have lunch and drop our bags. We had lunch at a small confeitaria, called Confeitaria Belo Mundo (Rua de Santa Catarina 542, 4000-446 Porto, Portugal), where I tried a Portuguese lanche; where a sandwich meets pastry. Compared to France, food in Portugal is quite inexpensive – my whole lunch was 5 euros!

Our Airbnb was in an area called Bolhão, filled with restaurants and shops. We walked around, weaving in and out of souvenir shops and local boutiques, and gaping up at grand cathedrals in awe. With iconic, intricately colored tiles, the building fronts were some of the most unique I have ever seen. We took Thursday kind of slow as we got acclimated to our new surroundings and just appreciated walking around with no set itinerary.

DAY 2

On Friday, we had two plans: (1) Lunch reservations at 12:30pm and (2) Entry tickets to a bookstore with no set time. We started our day at 11am, and even with our lunch reservation quickly approaching, we decided to head out for breakfast – a pre-lunch treat. Over 120 years old, Confeitaria Do Bolhão (R. Formosa 339, 4000-252 Porto, Portugal) is a retro bakery with traditional Portuguese treats, including the Portuguese egg tart (pasteis de nata), which was a technical challenge on the Great British Bake Off in a recent season, pointed out by one of my friends. The pastry is best enjoyed with cinnamon, which we actually forgot to add because we were too eager to try it.

Our breakfast/pre-lunch spread including the pasteis de nata.

After our pre-lunch traditional Portuguese pastry, we headed for our lunch reservation to try a traditional Portuguese meal, a francesinha, a sandwich topped with melted cheese and drenched in sauce. We ate at Brasão Coliseu (R. de Passos Manuel 205, 4000-385 Porto, Portugal) because in our research, this place was recommended and had both the traditional meat version and an alternative vegetarian version. The francesinha was delicious and the ambience of the restaurant was immaculate.

My vegetarian francesinha with a cup of tea.

Our next stop was the bookstore, Livraria Lello (R. das Carmelitas 144, 4050-161 Porto, Portugal) one of the oldest and prettiest bookstores in Portugal. Allegedly, this bookstore served as inspiration for Harry Potter, but according to some British people in front of us in line, that was just a rumor. Either way, the bookstore is absolutely gorgeous and has a massive staircase and striking architecture. It’s pretty small, so they limited the number of people inside at a time, but it is a must-see destination in Porto.

After the bookstore, we went down the street to a lookout point called Miradouro da Vitória. From here, you could see just how hilly the city of Porto is and how the sun glistened off of the Douro River. From the viewpoint, we continued our descent down the road to the river front, where we walked along the river to find a boat tour. At the port, we got tickets for a 5:30pm boat, which was incredible. We went up and down the river, almost to the Atlantic Ocean, and we got to see the sun as it almost set behind the horizon of the sea.

Impromptu photoshoot with this incredible background.

After the boat, we had dinner at a restaurant on the riverfront, where we officially saw the sunset and the lights of the city shining brightly against the water.

DAY 3

We had a slightly earlier start today, and our goal was to explore the south side of the river. We stopped before the bridge at a coffee shop called Esquires Coffee Porto (R. de 31 de Janeiro 215, 4000-543 Porto, Portugal), for breakfast.

As we crossed along the upper portion of the Luís I Bridge, we kept stopping to take pictures of the view. On the south side of the bridge was a garden, Jardim do Morro, with yet another postcard-worthy view.

We took the cable car down to the riverfront, with even more exceptional views. There was a little market at the bottom with jewelry and souvenirs. We even found some street art, the Bordalo II half rabbit, made from pieces of scrap and materials from around the city.

Portuguese street art sculpture. Look closely and you can see the metal pieces!

Our next goal was to see the sunset at the beach. Porto is a little too in-land to walk to the beach, so we found a tourist office and asked what the best way to get to the beach was. She gave us a map with instructions (go up the hill to the bus stop and take bus 15) and we were on our way! We probably could have taken the cable car back up the hill, but why spend another 6 euros when you can walk up a giant staircase in a hurry? In hindsight, we probably should have figured out how to get to the beach before we took the cable car in the first place, so we could have bought a round trip ticket. Either way, we made it to the bus stop, and waited for the bus. Out of all my bus experiences in Metz and Tel Aviv this summer, this was by far the wildest, perhaps scariest bus ride I’ve ever had (this includes the time I was on a bus in Tel Aviv that hit a taxi). This normal-sized bus zigzagged around streets of suburban Porto which it arguably should not have been able to fit through. Pedestrians flattened themselves against the buildings to avoid getting hit. I guess the bus driver was very experienced, but I could not even imagine driving a sedan down these cobblestone suburban Porto-streets.

The beach was everything we hoped it would be and more. We had a few hours to relax in the outdoor seating of a restaurant and watch the sun as it dropped to sea level. When the main event was about to begin, we went down to a walkway and sat on the edge. The sky lit up with reds, oranges, and yellows, and the sun illuminated the nearby clouds. Since being at GTL, I had yet to sit and really see a sunset. And in about 12 hours, we would see the sunrise from 30,000 feet.

The sunset was still visible and the band was playing at the start of the bridge. Truly magical!

We caught the last bus back to Porto and walked back from the garden to our Airbnb. Before crossing the bridge, we walked up a hill to the Miradouro da Serra do Pilar, a lookout point in front of a 16th century monastery. The sunset was still slightly visible from up here, and below us by the bridge, a band was playing Portuguese music. How was this real life?

A Rainy Fall Tuesday in Metz

Tuesday, October 12, 2021 | Written by Mira

A colorful flower stand while walking around town.

Tuesdays have quickly become one of my most relaxing days of the week. Nestled between two heavy class days, my Tuesdays are a chance for me to get out and explore Metz before traveling somewhere else on the weekends. I had been hunting for a bookstore with English books, so I took this Tuesday to see if my google-mapping was correct.

It was a crisp, rainy fall day. So, just after lunch, I hopped on a bus for downtown, equipped with my backpack, umbrella, and scarf. The bus couldn’t take me all the way to the bookstore, but I enjoyed a nice leisurely walk through downtown. I got to see parts of Metz I hadn’t seen before, and I even saw a cute flower stand!

I found the Atoutlire Bookshop (2 Rue de la Basse Seille, 57000 Metz), the “foreign” bookstore, and while a majority of the books are in English, there was quite a variety of languages. It was a small but cozy bookstore, and I even got to practice my French with the shop owner!

The bookstore is located right next to a public garden/park on a hill: Jardin des Tanneurs de Metz. There was a small amphitheater, and if the weather was nicer, it would have been the perfect place to relax with a book. As I kept climbing up the park, I realized it overlooked the city of Metz. The view from the top was simply incredible! I hadn’t known there was a good look-out point for the city, but here it was, at the garden next to the foreign bookstore.

I walked down the street to a cat café that one of my friends recommended to me. Chalon de Thé (6 Rue de la Petite Boucherie, 57000 Metz) is such a cute café, with even cuter kittens. My favorite was a little guy named Salem, who proceeded to walk all over my laptop keyboard. I could probably have spent all day sitting in this café, but I needed to get home and change before my evening plans: the Opera!

The day before, my French professor told us about 5-euro tickets to the Opera, secured by the Leonardo Program. I jumped at the chance to have a unique cultural experience (I had never been to an Opera before, even in English). After I got back to my apartment and changed, a group of friends and I headed out for dinner. We scoured google maps for a cheap dinner spot with vegetarian-friendly options that opened early enough near the Opera house.. We ended up finding a burger place called Boogie Burger (1 Rue du Pont des Morts, 57000 Metz), and it was *chef’s kiss* so good. There weren’t any seats, so we ate overlooking the river as the sun set. I would have been content if my day ended there, but there was still more to do!

The definition of an American in France.

Only at GTL can you spontaneously get 5-euro opera tickets.

The Opéra-Théâtr de Metz is this beautiful building on a small island surrounded by the Moselle River. The show for the night was called “Le comte Ory,” a comedic French opera from 1828, written by Gioachino Rossini. We looked up the synopsis beforehand just so we could have somewhat of an idea of what was happening, and boy is it a jam-packed plot. Luckily, when the performance started the lyrics were displayed above the stage, so I was able to follow along a lot more than I expected. I wish I could see the performance again, honestly, because there was just so much to look at: the live orchestra, the actors, and the text- it was truly an experience.

From bookstores to cats to operas, the day had it all… and it’s only Tuesday!

Living Alone and Doing Chores

Thursday, October 7, 2021 | Written by Mira

I’ve never lived alone before this semester. The closest I have gotten to that is spending last winter break by myself in a 6-person on-campus apartment, but that was only two weeks in total. As a self-aware introvert, I was very excited by the idea of having my own space. While most GTL students live in the same apartment complexes, we each get a studio apartment, with our own kitchenette and bathroom. After spending a little more than a month here, I have finally settled into a housekeeping/chores schedule.

Laundry: The entire Lafayette residence (GTL students and other college students in the area) share one laundry room which includes exactly three washers and three dryers. I learned on campus in Atlanta that the best way to avoid laundry frustrations is to get it done at unusual times, like Monday mornings. The Monday morning laundry schedule still applies here, thankfully, but please don’t share my secret! My first class starts at 11am, so that’s the perfect amount of time to wake up, throw my clothes in the washer (for three euros and 28 minutes), make and enjoy my French-pressed coffee, go back to the laundry room to grab my clothes, and spread everything out around my room to dry. The “European dry” dryers here, are not worth the one euro and forty minutes that have your clothes go from wet to slightly less wet. After I spread my clothes around my room to dry, hanging them off the desk, nightstands, and chairs, it is still early enough in the morning to go grocery shopping.
Proof that no one does laundry on Monday mornings (time stamp: 8:33am)
Grocery Shopping: The Lafayette residence is close to two grocery stores: Auchan and Cora. On Monday evenings, GTL sponsors a shuttle back from Cora, but I have class during this time, so I usually end up going to Auchan on Monday mornings. After doing my laundry, I grab some tote bags, throw on my headphones, and turn on a podcast. The roundtrip (to Auchan, shopping, and back) usually lasts the whole podcast, and I have just enough time to unpack my purchases before heading to GTL for class.
Monday morning walk to Auchan.

3. Cleaning Dishes: One thing I enjoy about living alone is that you don’t have to worry about others leaving dishes in the sink. One thing I dislike about living alone is that there’s no pressure to do the dishes right away. I try my best, but I must admit I keep myself accountable only half the time. I’m trying to get better about doing my dishes as soon as I get them dirty, but as I sit here writing about my dish-washing routine, last night’s dishes are piled in the sink… but I’ll get to them later, when I need to make dinner tonight.

4. The Junk Drawer: I love memorabilia. At my parents’ house, I have boxes full of movie tickets, airplane tickets, museum maps, etc. My personality studying abroad is no different. Why do I need to save my Paris metro train tickets? My Frankfurt Botanical Gardens ticket? The map of my canal cruise in Amsterdam? For the memories. The memorabilia had been piling up on my desk for a while, but with my first physics test came my first tabletop declutter… which meant finding a drawer to put everything in. At least now my things aren’t visible, but the junk drawer is an ever-growing beast.

Good luck to December me who will have to sift through this mess.

5. General Cleaning: Whenever I would leave my room at my parents’ house for extended periods of time, I always try to clean it to the best of my abilities which involves making my bed, clearing surfaces, and vacuuming the floor, as best I can. (Mom and Dad, if you’re reading this and my room at home is currently a mess… I’m sorry.) I did all this so that when I returned, I would walk in my room exhausted from whatever I was coming back from (a summer internship or a semester at Tech), and see my bed made, room clean and be able to thank past me for not making current me make my bed. I’ve tried to continue this tradition here, so before I leave for a weekend adventure, I make sure to clean the floors, do whatever lingering dishes are left in the sink, clean the bathroom, make my bed, put away any clothes that were left out from drying.

A Midterm Week in My Life at GTL

With all of the travel that happens in a semester at Georgia Tech-Lorraine, it can be easy to forget that it is still school and with that comes the occasional midterm week, and in Mira’s case midterm day. Read more about Mira’s experience relaxing in Metz and studying for her midterms in her latest blog post!

Friday, October 1, 2021 | Written by Mira

My color-coded google calendar for midterm day might have been too colorful for one Wednesday…

The best thing about having class only on Mondays and Wednesdays is having class only two days a week. The worst thing is having assessments only two days a week. And naturally, this week, they all decided to test my knowledge on the same Wednesday.

My upcoming midterm week (day) meant that I would spend the weekend in Metz. It is more than okay to take a weekend to slow down. There’s so much travel involved in studying abroad, especially at Georgia Tech-Lorraine, that you might feel like you’re missing out by staying home. I mean, I definitely felt like that. As I sat at home, studying all weekend, I saw on social media other students hiking in Switzerland, eating amazing food in Berlin, paragliding in Annecy… FOMO is real at Georgia Tech-Lorraine, but the semester ebbs and flows for everyone. While my midterm week was this week, a lot of people (the same people I saw on social media) have their midterm week next week, which means while they’re staying in Metz, I get to travel to Barcelona.

Coffee shops, like the Columbus Cafe featured here, are my favorite study spaces!

As I mentioned, I stayed in Metz this weekend. I had a very relaxing weekend… minus being stressed for midterms. Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early and went to my happy place, Fox Coffee (6 Rue Gambetta, 57000 Metz), to study. This was my third time this week here, and my goal is to become a regular. Saturday night, I finished a book! I actually get to read for pleasure here, and my younger self is very proud of my current self. I’m not quite sure yet whether it’s because I have more downtime or better time management, but being able to prioritize leisure activities (like reading) has been a welcomed surprise.

Monday morning, I stopped by Paul (a chain bakery in Metz) on my way to class to get some non-apartment-made coffee. The rest of my Monday was full of lectures preparing me for my assessments on Wednesday.

Tuesday, I searched for a coffee shop that wasn’t Fox to study. I found a café in the center of downtown that was perfect (official coffeeshop review coming soon), and spent the afternoon working on an international business presentation, making a formula sheet for statistics, doing practice problems for both statistics and physics. One of my friends had met me there, and afterwards we went to Auchan for some grocery shopping.

Wednesday arrived, and so did my midterm day. I walked to the Georgia Tech-Lorraine campus early to practice the international business presentation in front of the beautiful glass building on a crisp fall day.

Practicing a presentation with this beautiful backdrop.

After the presentation, I studied for a French vocabulary quiz, and did some last-minute review of statistics. After the statistics assessment, I went directly to Paul to grab a cheap dinner to-go so I could eat before the physics exam. Physics at Georgia Tech-Lorraine is distance learning from Atlanta, so our exam is done in our own room through Gradescope and Microsoft TEAMS proctoring, which also means I had to clean my desk. My desk was piled with metro tickets, train tickets, postcards, and other memorabilia from my travels so far, so I had to find a home for these things while I ate dinner and studied the last bit for the physics exam. The exam was over by 9:00pm, and so was my midterm day! I finally breathed a sigh of relief because, on the bright side, my stressful week was over and my weekend was just beginning – Barcelona, here I come! One of the amazing things about Georgia Tech-Lorraine is that so much happens in a week, and you get to celebrate the end of a stressful week with a new adventure.

To GT-Europe...and Beyond!

Category: Tips, Tricks, & Advice