After visiting the Hotel Dieu, we got back on the bus for our last ride to Paris. We arrived in Paris and had a few minutes to meet our tour guide for the next couple days, Julian, and get a small tour of the city. The first night we were treated to a delicious dinner of crepes and cidar... a few hours later then scheduled but still alot of fun. The first night in Paris concluded with a friend and I strolling around the city at night to see what we could scope out for the next few days. We walked a good 5km, but were smart enough to catch the last tram back to our hotel. The next morning everyone got breakfast and then did a 3-4 hour bike tour of Paris, stopping and talking about many important locations and getting to see a TON of the city. After lunch we went to the Pasteur Museum, which as it names implies and I assumingly thought was going to be more about the pasturing of milk... but it wasn't. Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and prevention of diseases, and his discoveries have saved countless lives ever since. He reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and created the first vaccines for rabies and anthrax.
With the conclusion of this tour, a few of us went back to the hotel and went to an inexpensive pizza place and enjoyed some pizza, pasta, and a few drinks. We had a little more time after dinner to relax and do as we wanted before being able to see one of the most spectacular night views I have seen. That night the whole group take the tram to the Eiffel Tower to meet Julian and get to go on the 2nd floor. Some of us behaved a little differently then other on the elevator ride up, and made ONCE in a lifetime memories that I certainly will never forget. I do remember however, passing a bathroom on the way to the elevator and hearing our guide tell us that we could use this bathroom...."after we are done", which DID NOT go well with me because all I could think about was how bad I needed to pee. luckily, after taking the elevator to the first floor I was able to find an elevator and all was good again. Back to the Tower, standing on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower overlooking the city was breathe taking. I could have spent the entire night just embracing everything that view and everything in my life that had led up to that moment. It felt as if everything was taken off of your back and you were standing on top of the world. One of the coolest things I discovered that I did not know before going to the Eiffel Tower at night was that the outside is fully lit up with flickering lights that make it glisten in the night like a giant star sitting on the Earth.
Thursday began with what I think was one of the coolest places we have been since I have been on this trip. Versailles was once the center of political power and royalty in Paris. In Versailles we got to take a tour of the spectacular inside of the Palace of Versailles. In there were rooms dedicated to Greek gods with ceiling painting spanning the entire room, huge fireplaces, tons of royal decorations, and an amazing bedroom. In the Palace there were also sections that were solely for the madams of the King, and my favorite part which was a large hallway decorated with paintings from old battles called the Gallery of Battles. After touring the Palace, we were taken to the gardens and land encompassing the Estate. It was here that Julian, his fiance, and his fiance's daughter made a picnic for everyone. This picnic has baguettes, champagne, every type of cheese, chips, salad, duck, and other type of picnic meats. This picnic was very impressive and was super impressed and full afterwards. Nice and full of food and wine, we got a tour of some more of the estate of Marie-Anoinette's Estate, fed some carp and birds, found my future home on an island in the estate, and then made our journey out of Versailles and on to Montmartre.
Montmartre is a hill 130m high, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank, primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacre Coeur on its summit and as a nightclub district. Sadly, when we went on top of the hill it was very rainy so we were not able to see much of the city but it was still a pretty decent view. In Montmarte I bought a few souvenirs for my family, walked by the Moulin Rouge, and then a few of us ate a very nice sit down dinner since it would be our last in Paris. That night concluded with a group of us going to a bar near the hotel and having a great time meeting some funny people. A friend and I stayed till about 3am talking with two men, one from South Africa and the other from Europe. They both worked for a company that is related to BMEN, so we talked about science, politics, life, and everything in between. Sadly and to our mistake we did not ask about any internships or job opportunities, but it was still a successful night. Best line of the night was "I found Texas midgets".
Friday, the last and final day consisted of what seemed like a very cut-short tour of the Louvre. Our guide was very knowledgeable about a lot of things and was able to explain so much to us while pointing out the highlights of the Louvre, but I would love to go back and be able to spend more time there since there is just so much to see. One of the big highlights was Mona Lisa, a surprisingly very small painting. The trip to Paris was one to remember and I am glad that our program was able to go there. I thank my coordinator and professors so much for giving us the opportunities that we had. Of course, I had to leave Paris in style though. Due to me slacking and not being able to buy a second class ticket for the train ride back to Bonn, I was forced to buy a seat in first class. I got my own table to do homework on, the most comfortable seat I have ever sat in for public transportation, a wonderful meal of duck, mashed potatoes, and yogurt, and then wine and chocolate to cap it off.
I'd say Paris was very good to me, and something to always remember and tell my kids about!!!
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