Excuse my French but I'm in France

Feel free to listen to Kanye West's and Jay-Z's song about Paris while you're reading this post.  Y'all are in for a treat.  We started off the day with a group meeting at the hotel and Professor Ryan discussed the European history and the different eras/motives that lead to the reconstruction of the modern Olympics.  Pierre de Coubertin, the essential founder of the modern Games, was a good old French boy.  After our group lecture, we headed to Notre Dame, where the inner architecture student was brought out in all of us. We observed the structural reasoning of the cathedral, including the flying buttresses shown in the picture below. 

After visiting Notre Dame, we walked down the street to the Jewish memorial site, created in memory of the people who suffered during the holocaust.  Afterwards we strolled around for a bit, and Professor Ryan was nice enough to treat us to his favorite bakery for being such good little boys and girls.  The afternoon then consisted mostly of bread and dessert from Gerard Mulot's, shopping, and trying to find a restroom; along with a visit to the Luxembourg Gardens and Sorbonne, a branch of the University of Paris.  The significance of Sorbonne in accordance with the modern Games can be traced back to a meeting that took place there, essentially marking the start of organized sports. 

Oh, and we went to the Eiffel Tower.  Took the train back to our hotel and called it a day, and most of us lounged around for the night.  Thanks to all the parents, relatives, and friends who are living vicariously through this blog, hope you're enjoying it.  HI MOM AND DAD!