msuCatalyst →

This post is written by msuCatalyst editor megan gebhart who is spending three weeks in Europe for a Study Abroad program.

If you read the last post, you noticed I stated that 'In a three week trip abroad you're going to run into some unexpected obstacles, but if you can go with the flow and make the most of every situation everyone has a lot of fun'. I was right when I typed that, but I didn't know how right I was until this weekend.

Our study abroad program is mainly in Paris; however, last week we spent a few days in Barcelona enjoying the sunshine, meeting with businesses, and enjoying the great food and company. Naturally all good things must come to an end so Saturday morning about 25 of the students in Barcelona made plans to go back to Paris. Our professor had given us the weekend to travel as we pleased as long as we were back at our residence in Paris by 9:30 pm on Sunday night.

The original idea was to head back towards Paris and possibly stop at a few towns along the way to be adventurous and see new places. It was a great plan. We were leaving Barcelona on a train Saturday morning at 8:45 am traveling to Montpellier, France. In France we would jump on a high speed train and be in Paris three hours later with time left to still have a nice evening in Paris. Or so we thought.

Our group made it to Montpellier without a problem, but when we head to the ticket counter to buy the tickets for the high speed train there's a hitch. Turns out there are no tickets for the high speed train. Not because they were all sold out, but because there were no trains running on that track. There had been a landslide somewhere along the line and there was no way to take the train until Monday or possibly Tuesday. This was a dilemma.

Keep a few things in mind. Our week in Barcelona was jam-packed with activities so we were already exhausted from long days and short nights. On top of that, there was a language barrier so we had a difficult time communicating with people that might have a clue what was going on and we couldn't exactly rely on the signs around the station written in French. Luckily a few people knew enough French and we figured out there were busses waiting outside that would transfer us to Avignon where we could take an alternative route and still make it back to Paris. So we rally the troops, collect our luggage and head outside where we are met by frantic travelers and 80 degree heat. In all the hecticness we are separated from half the group (and no one in that group has a cell phone) and ushered onto a hot bus without a clue as to what is going to happen next.

The bus ride was interesting. Some students were on the phone trying to get help with alternative routes, others paged through guidebooks for possible sites to visit on our new route, and many just hoped we would reach our destination soon because there hadn't been much time to find food or restrooms before we hopped on the bus. The general viewpoint was that we would jump off the bus, buy new tickets, and be back on track to Paris.

Once again, we were wrong. We reach the ticket counter to find that every seat leaving in every direction was booked. The French Open tennis match, Cannes Film Festival, Monte Carlo car race and a multitude of other events were going on in France, which meant travel was already tight even before the landslide. Not only could we not find a train seat, there were no busses, no rental cars, and barely a vacant hotel to be found. We were stuck. And so we got ice cream and just relaxed for a minute. There's wasn't much we could do and after being rushed we all needed a quick break.

As we are sitting around laughing about the situation a ticket lady approached us because something opened up. We could be back in Paris by 7am Sunday morning. It's a breath of fresh air and we were all excited. Kind of. It was possible to make it back to Paris, but it wouldn't be easy. We would have to take a bus to a different bus station in Avignon, wait for a train that would take us to Valence, France, wait for 4 hours and then get on a train at 1 am that arrived in Paris at 7 am. It didn't matter, we just want to be home.

The rest of the night begins to blur. There were so many cycles of hecticness, worry, happiness, boredom, naps, and relocating 30 bags of luggage that I can't keep the events of the night in order. By the time we were on the platform for our final train at 1 am we were all looking a little worse for the wear. The six hour train ride didn't help much either. I'm pretty sure no one got a decent nights sleep. But we endured at at 7am we arrived at the train station. I walked straight home, jumped in the shower to wash off the germs collected on the three train and two bus rides home then jumped in my bed for the one of the best sleeps of my life.

To call our 24 hour adventure from Barcelona to Paris an obstacle is an understatement. But like I said in the last post, the obstacles are all just a part of the fun. Our weekend adventure is going to be one of my fondest memories of the study abroad experience. It might sound crazy, but here's why:

• Everyone stayed positive Did we want to be stranded in Avignon and travel without a good nights sleep? No. But nobody complained. We knew we would eventually make it back safely so there was no point in being negative. This made all the difference in the world. 
• I was with great people It doesn't really matter where you are or what you're doing, if you're with people that made you laugh, smile, think big, and enjoy the moment, every situation becomes fun. I made some new friends and became better friends with many of the awesome people in the study abroad program. 
• We made the most of what we had During our four hour layover in Valence we sat down for a nice dinner outside a restaurant enjoying great food and good company before we walked around the town and checked out the beautiful fountains and gardens around the city. It wasn't what we were expecting, but it was a fun time.
• We learned something about ourselves The trip was a test of our patience, problem solving, attitude and leadership. I know that I learned some valuable lessons and so did the others in the group.
• We have a story to share For better or worse, I don't think I'll ever forget the time it took a 5 hour train, 2 hour bus ride, 3 hour wait, 20 minute bus ride, 1 hour train ride, 2 hour wait,  1 hour train, 4 hour wait, and 6 hour overnight train to reach my final destination that should have just been 8 hours away. 

The bottom line is that we had a plan and our plan was ruined. But we stayed positive, had faith it would all work out, used creative thinking and enjoyed the process along the way. I can safely say that I never again want to spend 24 straight hours traveling from one place to another, but I'm definitely glad I was able to have the experience once in my lifetime (and knock on wood it's only once!) There is no way to avoid the all the obstacles in life, but there's no reason you can't enjoy the moment and learn something in the process!

What's your crazy travel story? Share your adventure by leaving a comment!