than she was and she is the mother to three beautiful kids. Her husband, Sebastian, cooked a delicious dinner of mussels and homemade french fries. In the morning, I woke with 15 mosquito bites and I itched my way to Brussels, carrying my luggage around the city for four hours. Royal palace. Belgian waffles. Mannequin Pis, which was comically smaller than expected. Then, I was off to Amsterdam.
On my only full day in the city of canals, I trekked to 3 very historical, very renowned museums. The Rijkmuseum, where I saw Rembrandt van Rijn ' s most celebrated masterpiece, The Night Watch. Then, I traveled to The Sex Museum( sorry mom). Lastly, and without a doubt my favorite museum ever, was Barbie The Dream Experience. As my roommate, Leah, said, I was“ taken back to the Motherland”. I flew through Barbie Airlines to Malibu. Danced through my Barbie
dreamhouse, and learned the history of Barbie decade by decade. Did you know Barbie has over 250 careers? I hope to live as many lives, to dream as big as Barbie.
My last night in Paris, Leah and I tried escargot for the first time. It tasted like an earthy, pesto mushroom. Would I eat it again? Probably not. My last hoorah was Moulin Rouge where I
sat on the edge of my seat watching daring acrobatics while making friends with another girl solo traveling from Australia. I think one of my favorite parts of solo traveling is the brief moments you share with the most memorable people in the most beautiful places. Perhaps transience is what gives life its greatest meaning Or, at least, that’ s what I will remind myself as I live in the memories of an unforgettable European summer.
Morgan Blaettler was born and raised in Gilroy. She is pursuing a major in Creative Writing at Chapman University in Orange County, California, with a minor in Business Administration. A contributor for Gilroy- Morgan Hill TODAY, she completed an internship at She Heals the World as a Media Apprentice in 2025. She is the Publicist for the Active Minds Club at Chapman and a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She has been published in UndertheMadness Magazine, Chapman Ouroboros Magazine, and gmhTODAY Magazine.
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