Danielle’s Fabulous First Trip To Europe
Danielle Fernandes Europe Field Wendy Bendoni European Experience Journal June 5, 2015
Day 0 – Tuesday, May 19, 2015
I was amazed at how quickly May 19 arrived. The day that I had been waiting for since the beginning of the year! I couldn’t believe that I was finally making my first trip to Europe. Thankfully, I managed to pack everything and still have my check-in suitcase underweight. I was finally off to London! Upon boarding the plane, I was in awe at the size. I have traveled a lot, but even with many trips to Mexico, I had never been on a plane so huge. The anticipation was at a high and the reality of the trip was setting in as I debated in my head how I was going to manage to get sleep on the flight. We were finally off and I was eager to begin my European adventure. Day 1 – Wednesday, May 20, 2015
From Los Angeles, I had finally arrived in London! I had never been on a flight so long. As groggy as I was, I survived and was finally on London ground. While waiting for my luggage, I managed to connect to Wi-Fi and forgetting the time difference, briefly Facetime my parents. Looking back, I am thankful that I have parents that love me enough to pick up Facetime in the very early morning hours! We finally made our way on the bus and off to the hotel where we dropped off our bags and headed straight to the tube station. My first ride on the London tube was very impressive. My attention immediately directed on the adorable boys uniforms that I wish we had in the U.S. Next, upon entering the train, I was impressed at how clean it was compared to what I had expected. As we exited and were reminded to “mind the gap”, we began our walking tour of London. We were able to grab a small snack, which was my first European Starbucks experience. I am pleased to report that Starbucks does in fact taste better in Europe. Then we were crossing a bridge that led us straight to the London eye! I couldn’t believe how large it was and looking in the distance I could see the Big Ben clock tower. We then made our way to Piccadilly Circus where we had a little free time to explore before dinner. My attention was immediately directed towards the men that surrounded me in impeccably tailored suits. I was in awe. Again, wishing that more California men could take a few tips from these adorable London lads. After regaining consciousness, I continued to walk around the area close to our meeting point. I saw the Chinatown area and then needed to head back to our meeting point to go to dinner. When the rest of the group arrived, we made our way to Salt’n Pepper for Indian cuisine. I like Indian food so I was very excited to try it in London because I have heard that it is even better there! Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of very spicy food so I couldn’t really taste much other than major spice. After dinner, Wendy took us to the Covent Garden where we were able to explore. I ventured off with Vanessa, my roommate and Jaha and we explored the area. We visited many tourist souvenir shops since most of the stores were closed at that time. Since we were all so tired from the traveling we decided to grab a cappuccino at a café. After we left the café, we navigated back through the tube to our hotel where we stumbled across Lickin Chicken, a local fast food chicken joint. “While in London…” we grabbed some chicken and returned to the hotel for some much needed rest. Day 2 – Thursday May 21, 2015 EXPERIENCE
Inside Harrods
It was finally the big day – Professional visits in London! Day two in London was very exciting. We first went to Harrods. I was absolutely blown away at how amazing this department store is. It is like nothing I have ever seen before. To this moment, I still can’t compare it to anything that I have seen in the U.S. Even the Bloomingdale’s flagship in New York doesn’t compare to Harrods. As promised by Wendy, the food court was amazing. I purchased a handy Harrods canvas tote, as it was all I had time to buy. We were soon on our way to our EDITD meeting. After a short tube ride, we had a bit of a hard time finding the offices. After re-circling our path, our brilliant professors Wendy and Keith were able to guide us in the right direction and we were able to find the EDITD offices. We made it to our appointment early and received our nametags while we waited to be escorted inside. EDITD Overview EDITD is a retail technology company and an invaluable industry tool that tracks market analytics by giving its clients access to the entire market; including menswear, womenswear, children and accessories, in addition to more categories. Since EDITD can be used by a variety of professionals, it is customizable to what the client needs to know because it was designed with the fashion and apparel industry in mind. Competitors, retailers and brands can be tracked and products can be sorted by price, discounts and frequency of restock. Using EDITD is beneficial because it allows its clients to be at the forefront of the industry, by evaluating analytics that are relevant to their position in the market. Founded by Geoff Watts and Julia Fowler in 2009, EDITD is headquartered in London with US and Australia presence. This company is successful because it gives fashion and apparel industry professionals a tool specifically designed for their industry. Everything is trackable, even the entire lifecycle of a product, including specific product details and store discounts and replenishment. Extensive retail reports are also available to help clients keep up-to-date on trends and new arrivals, including runway stories. By having such insight, it allows the client to have a competitive advantage to improve business.
EDITD is not only beneficial to its customers, but it is also convenient. It is developed to give industry professionals a competitive advantage and improve the quality of their business. By providing easy-to-use data, EDITD is very user friendly. However, they are dedicated to their clients. So they are more than happy to guide their clients step-by-step to navigate the service if they experience any difficulties. By archiving leading brands and retailers e-mails and webpages, EDITD’s clients are able to understand trends, themes and cycles, which helps to benchmark their own performance, track marketing techniques and assess competition. By having the capability to monitor live, real-time trends, clients are able to have the best knowledge to influence their planning and actions. Since EDITD is used worldwide, it is convenient that trend analysis is able to be customized by location and season to give clients the most tailored data to their needs, without the hassle of having to search for specific season and location information, they can set their preferences to be automatic. Overall, EDITD may not be easily accessible for the average person, or even students like ourselves. However, it is very clear that this is the future of fashion. Analytics matter now more than ever and will be vital to the future of the fashion industry. I have a feeling that soon there will be other fashion focused companies following EDITD’s lead, maybe one day making this service affordable to more individuals. I think something like this would be beneficial to smaller retailers, such as boutiques. Maybe one day, it will be more accessible. Product Tour. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2015, from https://editd.com/product/features/
EDITD Questions 1. How did you begin marketing such a novel idea? We looked for investors first to help support the product; from there it has sold itself with its endless capabilities. 2. How do you track the success of certain features? We have a whole team that tracks the use of the software so we can see how all clients use the software and customize it to their preferences. This also helps us to see how we can make improvements. 3. What is the future of EDITD? We want to work with more retailers and see EDITD even more integrated into various market segments the fashion industry. 4. How is your software beneficial if two competing retailers use it? All of our clients are able to fully customize how they use EDITD. Since it is tailored to their needs, they are going to use it differently than their competitors so their experience will be different, it will not poorly affect the retailer if their competitor is also using our software. Plus, data decides, not a person. No information can be biased towards clients because its real data, not something made up by a person. 5. Is your software easy to use? EDITD is very user friendly, but our team is more than happy to help our clients step-by-step when they need extra guidance. 6. How has Internet changed the fashion industry? Internet has changed the fashion industry by communications distribution of information in fashion, global barriers have dropped so that retailers can be
anywhere, and retailers own a direct communication to have relationship with customers (for example, they can reach them by email anytime). EDITD Experience
I was very impressed by the building that EDITD is in. It is very modern and clean. This was the first time I noticed the difference between floors in London and the U.S. I have never noticed negative floor numbers in the U.S. However, not many of our stores have basements either. The EDITD offices were very sleek and clean. It wasn’t exactly what I expected. I was imagining the EDITD offices to be more colorful, but that was made up for by personality. The team at EDITD was vibrant and friendly. I was very impressed at how welcoming they were to us. They were so warm and kind, I really felt like they cared that we were there and they wanted to educate us as much as they could. Upon entering the conference room, we were offered cronuts, candy, key chains and a variety of beverages. They were so generous to make sure that we were all comfortable before they started their presentation. They connected ell with us and described London as the “Silicon Valley of fashion”. This was very surprising to me because I didn’t know that London was that big of a fashion hub. I knew that it was very important, but Silicon Valley is the main hub of technology, so that really says a lot. I was beyond impressed to see many of the capabilities of EDITD. They track visual merchandising and social media so you can search things such as promotional emails by date and time; you can also sort by bloggers and categories. There is so much going on every second in the fashion industry so I am amazed that all of this information is available live. The wealth of information obtained by EDITD is endless. For example, they were able to tell us that ASOS drops 2, 976 new products weekly. Since being founded in 2009, it is amazing what an impact that co-founders Geoff Watts and Julie Fowler have made so far in the industry. With customers including Target, Banana Republic, GAP, ASOS and Saks digital and marketing teams, it’s clear that their service is top-notch. Furthermore, EDITD is proving that the possibilities with
data tracking are endless. I am looking forward to see what EDITD will do in the future and I am so fortunate to have seen the software in action. Burberry Overview In 1856, Burberry was founded by 21-year-old Thomas Burberry, who opened the first Burberry store on Winchester Street in Basingstoke. Thomas Burberry founded “gabardine” in 1880 and the company moved to its first London store in 1891. Many world explorers would wear Burberry on their journeys, as they provided strong, warm and durable clothing that was suitable for their adventures. Preceding the famous Burberry trench coat was the Tielocken coat, which was founded in 1912. This coat featured a single strap with buckle fastening and a button at the collar. The Tielocken coat was popular among officers in WWI. Burberry was the brand widely chosen for world explorers, especially since gabardine was founded; it could be used for tents as well as the clothes that kept some explorers warm and protected enough to journey to the south pole and Antarctica. Burberry gabardine was worn by police officers, skiers’ and pilots. It wasn’t just men that could wear Burberry, in the 1920s, wool gabardine ski suits were also available for women. In 1926 Burberry was acclaimed, “The King of Weatherproofs”. Burberry was creating clothes for royalty and the greatcoat regulated for Officers of the King’s household and the guards. From overcoats to ski suits, Burberry was the top choice for weatherproof clothing. Advertisements of the 1900s show Burberry garments to be stylish, multipurpose and of high quality. On a particular ad campaign from 1935 quotes that Burberry’s Ladies’ costumes and sports suits lead the fashions and “their models have distinctive character which appeals to those who ‘dress’” (Heritage, 2015). This goes to show how versatile Burberry really was. Even during those times, a brand that featured weatherproof clothes for nobility and famous explorers of the world could be fashionable and highly desired by women as well. This goes to show how versatile Burberry is and how their legacy has truly transformed to today. Through the times, Burberry has been a classic brand of high quality. Many of their ads in the early 1900s feature a claim for high desirability of Burberry. They ads promote a level of exclusivity for the brand with saying like, “… for everybody who is anybody” (Heritage, 2015). This resonates with the history of the brand because it is known for outfitting royalty and top explorers. Even today, Burberry’s ad campaigns feature top models in their classic and stylish clothing and accessories, locking in Burberry’s legacy as a top label. Heritage. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2015, from http://us.burberry.com/our-history/#/heritage/heritage-1930-4
Burberry Questions 1. How diverse is Burberry headquarters? Headquarters consists of function, design, marketing, merchandising and planning. 2. What are the goals within the social media department? Burberry’s social media department plans on continuing to track impressions for platforms that don’t allow too much brand engagement. They also plan on reaching the millennial audience. 3. What is the Burberry foundation?
The Burberry foundation is a philanthropic organization helping local communities. They are dedicated to supporting young people. 4. Why did you choose LA for the fashion show? LA is increasingly becoming more of a fashion hub. Griffith Park is an iconic LA location and perfectly suits as an extravagant location for Burberry’s Fall 2015 fashion show featuring the perfect combination of the brands English heritage with California color. The event was star studded and perfect for the launch of Burberry’s Snapchat. 5. How successful is the Burberry cosmetic line? Burberry is delighted with the success of their fragrance and cosmetic lines. It is a big focus area for them and they look forward to seeing them flourish. Burberry Experience
Visiting the Burberry headquarters was one of the things that I was looking most forward to about the Europe trip. Burberry has always been a brand that I adore and I never fathomed actually visiting the headquarters! After our EDITD meeting we grabbed a quick lunch at a vibrant Mexican food joint and headed back for the tube. We went to Regent Street to visit the Burberry flagship store! I have wanted to go to the Burberry flagship for years. Unfortunately, after a brief demonstration of the store technology we had only five minutes in the store. This was my far, the greatest challenge of the trip. Before heading off to our Burberry appointment we got to see Seville Row. After walking down the street, we squeezed in enough time to walk by Liberty. We then rushed off again to make it to Burberry. It was a bit difficult to find the headquarters, but I was very impressed to see all of their different office buildings, which we later found out they refer to them all as the Burberry campus; which is really quite suiting. Burberry’s main headquarters building was quite impressive. We entered the tallstanding building through large glass doors and were immediately ushered into a holding room with sleek, modern automatic doors that were so high-tech that none of us knew
how to use; until we later figured out that they were really quite simple. We were soon guided downstairs to a white conference room with cookies, water and tea awaiting us. When the presentation began, we were introduced to Burberry’s core values and key strategies. This was actually one of my questions, so I was glad they started out with this information. Burberry’s key strategies are to inspire the brand, raise product potential, optimize channels, unlock market opportunity and pursue operational excellence. Their core values are: protect, explore and inspire. They also value constant communication. Next they began into a detailed overview of Burberry. Burberry consists of over 500 stores worldwide and their website reaches globally. The flag on their logo reads “Prorsum” which means, to move forward. One of their labels, Burberry Prorsum was launched under their creative director in 1998. Careers at Burberry include multiple positions in retail and design, as well as brand protection. Burberry’s social media is also quite impressive. With 10 million followers on LinkedIn and various other platforms, Burberry is truly able to connect worldwide. Burberry’s platforms include: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Vine, USCO, WeChat, YouKu and most recently, Snapchat. Burberry launched its snapchat account at the latest Burberry fashion show, “London in LA” at the Griffith Observatory. With an abundance of social platforms, Burberry keeps them interesting and up-to-date by using different platforms for different purposes to avoid an influx in repeated information and allow followers to have different connection experiences. I am still in shock that I had this amazing opportunity to visit the Burberry headquarters in London. The only thing that could have made it better is a tour of the facilities or an appearance by Christopher Bailey himself! Although, we were informed that he was in the same conference room as us when he was in an earlier meeting that day. Either way, it was an unforgettable experience and maybe I’ll be back one day! Day 2 – Thursday May 21, 2015 Continued
Flowers at Liberty London
After our visit to Burberry, Vanessa, Jaha, Marlee and I went back over to the Piccadilly Circus where we quickly explored before everything closed. We saw the huge Topshop flagship store and we went through H&M, Zara, Miss Selfridges and back to
Liberty. Upon closing Liberty, we enjoyed an Italian dinner at a little café across the street. As expected, we were all very tired so we navigated through the tube and headed back to the hotel for the rest of the night. Day 3 – Friday, May 22, 2015
On Friday morning we met early in the hotel lobby to begin our London sightseeing tour. We took a tour bus to see Westminster Palace and the clock tower, which we learned is often confused for “big ben”. Big Ben is actually the large and squatty bell in the clock tower. We also got to see the beautiful Westminster Abbey, which looks even more beautiful in person than it did when I saw it on TV while watching Will and Kate’s wedding. After our little walking tour we headed over to Buckingham Palace where we got to watch the changing of the guards! It was so excited to see how this process works. I loved seeing the marching bands and the guards on horses; it was quite the production. At first I was confused as to why we kept running back and forth, but I am glad we had a good tour guide to explain the process and make sure that we could see the whole thing. We were then off to Windsor Castle. Following a long bus ride, we enjoyed a very quick lunch before gathering to explore the castle. We took a tour of the beautiful state apartments and Queen Mary’s Doll House. It was a bit humorous to see the guards walking around the castle because if anyone walked in their path, they would loudly shout, “Make way!!!” This was quite startling and unexpected as our U.S. police or guards would never do this.
Windsor Castle
Following our bus ride back to the hotel, we were back on the tube to visit the London Tower and the Tower Bridge. They were both very beautiful. I have heard of the Tower Bridge and knew what it looked like, so it was great to see that in person. It was nice to learn a bit more about the London Tower as well. We then got to enjoy free time where my friends and I headed back to Piccadilly Circus for one last stop at Liberty and then find a place to eat dinner. I loved the London culture. At first I was confused as to why such a large amount of people were standing outside of pubs drinking. But I like the fact that the people are just very relaxed and can enjoy their alcohol on the street and catch up with their friends. The vibe is definitely more low-key than the bar scene in Los Angeles. We ended up in the Soho district for dinner where we ate at a place called, The Diner. I really enjoyed the Soho district, it was very happening and I would definitely return on my next trip to London. We enjoyed our dinner and headed back to the hotel.
London Soho
Day 4 – Saturday, May 23, 2015 Saturday was our last day in London, but it was also exciting because it was our Alexander McQueen day. We were off to the Victoria and Albert museum where we headed straight to the Alexander McQueen exhibit. I was very impressed by the exhibit. I had no idea what to expect, but it exceeded my expectations by far. Seeing these original garments first hand is unforgettable. I learned a few new things about Alexander McQueen and I truly felt his passion just by seeing his work in person. It was a very beautiful exhibition and I am so glad we had the opportunity to visit. I even learned a few new things about him while reading some of the info in the exhibit and by talking to Wendy about the exhibit. My appreciation for Alexander McQueen has skyrocketed.
Brick Lane
After our visit to the V&A museum, we went immediately to Brick Lane to meet Wendy’s friend, Karen. Brick lane was not exactly what I expected. I was so glad that we had Karen to show us around because she was able to narrate what we were seeing. She has such a vibrant personality, I am so glad we got to meet her and wish we had more time to hear more of her story. We couldn’t have had a better tour guide! We explored brick lane and then visited the market where we had lunch and had free time to shop around. Unfortunately, at this point of the trip I was feeling very sick, so I didn’t get to explore very much of the area. We met up with Keith and Wendy at the tube to go to the Alexander McQueen play. When we finally arrived, we got a great group picture out front before we waited inside for the play to start. Unfortunately, I was feeling so sick that I didn’t make it through the entire play. However, I did get to see the beginning of the play and I thought that it was very interesting. I did not know what to expect of this play, but I was a little lost in the story line. From what I saw, the play was good but I wish I knew more than that. Once the play ended, I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel. We had an early wake up call for the next morning so I packed my bag for Paris and got as much sleep as I could.
Alexander McQueen Play
Day 5 – Sunday, May 24, 2015 I have wanted to visit Paris for as long as I could remember. I had no idea what to expect because my greatest association with Paris was the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and all of the luxury brands associated with Paris. I survived the early wake up call and struggled my way to the bus to get to the train station. Upon arriving, we grabbed a quick breakfast and then got through security to get to our train. I was very excited to take the Eurostar as I have heard so much about Europe’s high-speed train system. I could tell that we were going fast when my ears began popping. Again, I fell asleep so I didn’t get to take in much of the scenery. All I remember was waking up to the graffiti as we approached Paris. We got off the train and put our bags on the bus before we headed off to the oldest flea market in Paris. Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy the market as it seemed similar to the things that I saw at brick lane. As Wendy noted, it wouldn’t be the pretty Paris that we were expecting. She was definitely right. I didn’t really have much energy to get around so I browsed along with Vanessa, Jaha and Marlee. I was excited to leave and get to dinner. We took the metro and Wendy showed us our meeting place for the river cruise. After admiring the scenery, we all split up to explore and find dinner. I went off with Vanessa, Jaha and Marlee again and we found a beautiful cathedral, unfortunately, we couldn’t find the name of it. From there we picked out a café for dinner. I was feeling so sick at that point I could barely taste my meal. I wanted to try escargot, but I couldn’t taste much so it wasn’t worth it. Although, I watched Jaha try it and she was pleased with the outcome. Thankfully, I was able to somewhat enjoy my cappuccino after dinner. Before we knew it, we needed to head back to our meeting point for our river cruise on the Seine. We got on the boat and had a lovely view of Paris. This was perfect for our first night because we got to see the architecture, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and other sights. One of my favorite parts was seeing people relaxed on the side of the river with wine and some people were dancing to a live band. It was a great ambiance.
After the cruise, we boarded the bus and had a Paris lights tour. This was very nice because we missed the sightseeing tour earlier in the day. We did a bit of sightseeing and it was amazing to see Paris lit up at night. The best part was stopping at the Eiffel Tower to watch it sparkle. When the Eiffel Tower started sparkling I got chills up my spine, not because I was sick but because it was unlike anything that I have ever seen before. We drove by the glowing Arc de Triomphe and headed back to the hotel. Day 6 – Monday, May 25, 2015 Monday morning we went to the Louvre. It was absolutely gorgeous. When we split off, Vanessa, Jaha, Marlee and I headed straight for the Mona Lisa. From what I have heard, I expected it to be small, so it wasn’t too far off from my expectations. We explored the Louvre and I was very impressed by the artwork. I have never been extremely interested in art but it is amazing to see how great artists are able to capture such emotion in their work. I have a newfound appreciation for museums.
After we spent some time in the Louvre, we took photos outside and visited the gift shop. Then, we went to see the Latin Quarter and Saint Germain. I really enjoyed the Latin Quarter and Saint Germain was exciting because of all of the café’s and highend stores. We split off again and I joined my usual group and we shopped around for a while. After that, we headed back to the Latin Quarter where we enjoyed nutella banana crepes and wine. I really enjoyed it.
We explored around a little bit and stopped into some souvenir shops after our crepes, then we went to Rue Saint-Honore and went to the original Chanel store and browsed through other shops. Then we stopped in YSL and Vanessa bought a beautiful bag. We then headed back to the hotel where Marlee and I freshened up before we took the metro to Café Marly for dinner. I am so happy that we decided to go because we had a lovely view of the Louvre and a nice time getting to know Marlee better. I wish that I felt better, but I was able to somewhat taste my food, so that was good. We then joined the rest of the group and took a taxi back to the hotel. Day 7 – Tuesday, May 26, 2015
I was so excited to go to Versailles; it was on my list of must-see places in Paris. We met in the hotel lobby and boarded the bus to Versailles. Our group started out with the garden tour and I was in awe at how large the property was. I would have loved to rent a golf cart and explore. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for that. We proceeded to the palace and I couldn’t believe how immaculate the groups were. The décor inside the palace was unbelievable. Our tour guide was great and very educational about the palace. I really learned a lot from her and she made everything interesting to listen to. I have read a lot about Marie Antoinette, but the way that our tour guide told the story; I truly understand how sad her life was upon her beheading. There is so much history in Versailles. My favorite room in the palace was the hall of mirrors. After Versailles, we went to Montmartre and had some free time to explore. I thought it so cool that they had lifts that take you to the top of the hill. The view was unbelievable. However, I was not very impressed with the area because it consisted of a bunch or souvenir shops and there wasn’t anything too unique. We went to dinner and then split off again. Vanessa, Jaha, Marley and I navigated through the metro and went to the Eiffel Tower! When we got there we took a lot of pictures and then found the best crepes.
I had a strawberry, nutella crepe, with whipped cream under the Eiffel Tower and at that point I truly felt like I was in Paris. We walked around a bit more and passed by the carousels, walking towards where we watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle just a couple of nights before. When we reached the stairs, we heard a guitar playing. There was a man singing and playing guitar. He saw Jaha dancing and invited her up in front of the crowd of people with him to dance. It was such a cool moment to have this experience in front of the Eiffel Tower. Almost on cue, the Eiffel Tower started sparkling shortly after. It was a memorable moment and perfect way to end our night.
Day 8 – Wednesday, May 27, 2015 Our time in Paris flew by so fast! I couldn’t believe it was our last day, but I was ready to make the best of it. Our first stop was the Opera and the Galeries Lafayette. The Opera was absolutely beautiful and I hope that someday I can attend a ballet there. We went to Galeries Lafayette and I was blown away by how huge it was. I didn’t think
it was as impressive as Harrods, but it was still not comparable to anything in the U.S. We shopped around and Marlee bought a pair of beautiful Valentino rock studs and Vanessa bought a pair of Chanel espadrilles. We went over to Printemps and were overwhelmed by all of the shopping. I was still looking to make a special purchase before leaving Paris. We decided to take a break so we stopped at a café for a quick lunch and then I made my way back to Printemps where my first stop was Christian Louboutin. I have dreamed of owning a beautiful pair of Christian Louboutin’s for years. What better place than Paris? I tried on a few pairs and fell in love. I purchased a gorgeous pair of black Bianca Christian Louboutin’s. After a little more browsing, we went to explore the Champs-Elysees and I couldn’t believe how much shopping there was! I bought a few things for my family and we went to see the Arc de Triomphe up-close. After that we went into Louis Vuitton and YSL. While in YSL, I purchased a pretty pewter, metallic, shoulder bag with gold monogram and chain strap. They brought all of us champagne and we all felt like we were dreaming to be sipping champagne in Saint Laurent on the Champs-Elysees. I couldn’t think of a better way to end my last day in Paris.
Dashing out of YSL, we went straight for the metro and hurried off to dinner. When we arrived, Marlee wanted to see my YSL bag so I pulled it out and Jaha and Vanessa noticed a scratch. I rushed out of the restaurant and down Rue Saint-Honore to take the bag to another YSL store to exchange. Unfortunately, after a long and exhausting sprint, I arrived two minutes late and they were closed. As I dragged myself back to the restaurant, I noticed Laduree, so I felt it was appropriate to stop in and make my failed trip down the street somewhat worthwhile. I’m glad it was there because I didn’t think I’d get a chance to visit before I left Paris!
After picking up some treats and gifts for my family at Laduree, I hurried back to the restaurant. Everyone had already finished eating but our server was very friendly and brought me my dinner. Vanessa, Jaha and Marlee waited for me and then we went off to find a lock bridge for Vanessa and Marlee’s locks. After we found the bridge, we went to the Louvre one last time. Vanessa, Marlee and I all got pictures in our exciting new purchases. After that, we were all exhausted so we stopped at a café for a cappuccino and crepe and took a taxi back to our hotel. Day 9 – Thursday, May 28, 2015 It was time to say “Au Revoir” to Paris. It was a bittersweet morning because I still felt horribly sick and wanted to get home, but I also didn’t want to leave. I had such a wonderful time on the Europe trip and I am so thankful for Keith and Wendy planning this unforgettable and invaluable experience. I really enjoyed myself and made new friends along the way. I cannot wait until I am able to go back to Europe!