Sunday in Paris

Hello world! So today is our first day of official events in Paris! We got started at 10am, first heading over to the Champs-Élysées. We spent our time there exploring the Arc de Triomphe. To our disappointment, there was some construction work going on, I'm guessing to repair the Arc for some reason. So we weren't able to get that perfect picture that everyone always wants, but we still explored and learned nonetheless.

 Right in the center of the Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is a tomb in memory of unidentifiable French soldiers who lost their lives in World War I. There is an eternal flame that is always burning in memory of those lost. Professor Ryan told us that it is one of the most important monuments in all of France. It was a very enlightening experience to see all of the flowers and people around the monument.

From there, we took the train to Trocadéro to get a great view of the Eiffel Tower! I've never been to Paris, so I've been looking forward to seeing the Eiffel Tower since we first embarked on our journey. What I can tell you is, until you see it in person, you CANNOT imagine how big it really is! It's enormous! There is nothing anywhere around the area that can compare at all. This picture is one of my favorites from the day. It shows our view of the Tower from the Trocadéro. With the fountains going, its really a beautiful site. We also went close up stood right under it. I can't believe people have the capability to walk all those stairs. I thought it was crazy when I ran up 15 floors in London to beat the elevator. I can't even imagine WALKING up the tower.

We also went to Notre Dame. It was beautiful, and the architecture was pretty incredible. It's one of the oldest buildings in Paris. We spent some time walking around it before going to the French Holocaust Memorial. The Holocaust memorial was very powerful. Its a stone entrance and all the names of the camps that French Jews were deported to during the Holocaust are on the wall to the side of it. Auschwitz, Dachau, and many others appeared. There were a number of French quotes, which essentially talked about the memory of those killed and the tragedy of their "extermination." The memorial was a corridor of little pearls/stones that was lit up along the walls. And at the end of the corridor was a circle with a light in the middle, meant to represent the train whisking Jews off to concentration camps. It was a site that will stick in my mind.

Tonight, we went to dinner at a traditional French restaurant within walking distance. It was fantastic! I actually had duck, for the first time. Hopefully my parents will be impressed. But everybody ate great and it was probably the best restaurant we've been to so far. Hopefully, we'll see a few more good ones. And with that, you'll be hearing from me again tomorrow! Talk to you all then!

Peace out,

Jake