To prepare for the trip I watched tiktoks on the places we are going, found places I might want to see while we are here. My mom has been to Amsterdam before so her and I talked about it quite a bit as well as other family members who have gone to the places we are going as well! 

The news outlet I found was called “NL times” 
The have articles ranging from business to politics, they focus on large issues around the country. The most differences I am seeing are just the issues they are focusing on. But in all honesty it is pretty similar to what you would see on a U.S. news outlet. The most interesting story to me is titled “Police stop writing tickets for minor offences in early retirement protest” 
I just find it very interesting because why does writing tickets have to do with retirement. 

The biggest shock to me was the weed. I do not enjoy the smell of it so it was hard having to smell it everywhere. Also made it very overwhelming for me. Another part that was hard for me was navigating. I usually love to find a fun new place to eat when I travel places, but I had the hardest time finding restaurants and navigating them on Google maps. There were so many options and they were either gross looking or very expensive so I just really struggled. I also couldn’t read the names so I didn’t know what it meant or what food was there exactly. I do wish I would have done more research on finding restaurants before I came tho! 

Many people in Amsterdam chose to take bikes which I think speaks volumes about a town. They prioritize clean air. I did take the bus a couple of times and it was pretty easy to navigate everything was in both English and in Dutch which was very helpful. One thing I do want to say about them riding there bikes that made me uneasy is them not wearing helmets. In each city I have been to I have looked out for bikers and whether or not they are wearing helmets. During my childhood it was so important to my grandma that we wore ours and I find it scary that in Amsterdam I saw very very few people wearing them. Most of the time when people biked with there kids they weren’t wearing them either. 

We took a plane to Paris and again they spoke all languages on the plane which was very helpful. The airport was pretty easy to navigate and it was a quick trip. When we were exploring Paris we took the train everywhere. It was quite easy to navigate except for they spoke strictly French on it. The time that was most scary to not understand there language was, we were in the train one day a few of us girls and someone over the speaker said something in French. And then some people got off. I was so confused in that moment because I truly had no idea what was going on. Which can be scary because something could have been wrong but we just chose to stay on. 

We left Paris by euro train, this was the most enjoyable ride I have had. It was so easy through security and most people spoke English and we just got on and left. I could truly have sat on that train ride for 10 hours if we needed to! I think it is so convenient that they have trains that get you places so quickly. It gives so many options for people in the city. 

In London we have been taking the train. It is very easy to navigate because everything is in English. We did get on the wrong train last night but the people on who overheard our conversation helped us get on the right train. 

Omar’s Speech. 

The one thing I took away from his speech is to be open to change. You can make it very far in your life if you put yourself out of your comfort zone and try new things. That is how you meet people and build connections! 

Another comparison is the cheers. Many swifties probably don’t love football but because of Travis they begin watching and begin to relate with others in there life in a new way and I find it so very heart warming when you capitalize on a market like the swifties as a fan base you can really make money. I always think any publicity is good publicity. And even tho there are angry fans mad that the chiefs and other football teams are trying to incorporate Taylor swift into posts, they know the market they are trying to target and it’s working big time. 

City Hall Speaker Portion 

if I were trying to attract people who live in London to do more and explore more I would try to create a series of media post talking about hidden gems. Trying to introduce them to things they have never seen before. Like even tho I come from a small town and not a lot changes when a new thing opens or a new restaurant I am so eager to try it. Now I also am able to find out about it very quickly since I live in a small town. But if you are trying to spread word to a whole city it’s a lot harder. So trying to help Londoners be aware of new things like restaurants, local stores, museums and etc. you can show them things they should try. Open there eyes to new experiences. 

It can be used as a tool when you are trying to attract people to a location. It’s goes both ways from a viewers perspective, as well a set directors point