5/29 Paris

Paris was a free day for us so we all went our own ways to see different things. Most of our group made it up the Eiffel tower to at least the second level, some of us even waited over 4 hours to get to the top and see the sunset. Other main sites that were seen were the Arc de Triumph, Notre Dame and the Moulin Rouge. The Moulin Rouge was a popular site after the movie, but the area is definitely considered ‘Red Light’. Nate, Jenn, Jon Mudd and Beth also made trips to the monument for the Bastille commemorating the start of the French Revolution, the Basilique du Sacre Coeur which is the second highest point in Paris other than the Eiffel Tower, and La Grande Arche in La Defence just outside the city limits which is a large box that could hold Notre Dame inside. We also attempted to see the Picasso Museum which we found after a few wrong turns, however, it was closed because of a strike which made Jenn very disappointed. That group also went to le Museé d’Orsay and saw paintings by Monet, Seraut, Degas and more. Many of the paintings we had looked at in class such as the multiple paintings by Monet of Rouen Cathedral. As for our learning experience we marveled at the enginering of the Eiffel Tower, learned to navigate on the Metro through a large city and got to take in the Paris life style. Overall it was an enjoyable experience and we all took in many sites in our limited stay in the city and we all got to see our own interests.