Postcard from Paris

Bonjour, readers! We made it to the city of lights! We arrived yesterday afternoon after a quick train ride from London. It was pretty funny to see thirteen Americans lugging huge suitcases through the city, up and down lots of stairs – we stuck out like sore thumbs. It's a little crazy to go from England to a totally foreign-speaking country, so it took a little time to adjust. Reg and I both speak French, so we've been doing our best to translate when necessary. A lot of people here speak pretty good English, and Professor Ryan is a pro at figuring out how to get us from place to place. Everyone else has been learning how to say "excuse me," "sorry," and "I don't speak French," too.  

We took the metro to see L'Arc de Triomphe yesterday, and it was absolutely beautiful. 

We walked underneath it and saw several war memorials inside, along with the tomb of the unknown soldier. 

It started to rain and we were all hungry, so we stopped in a little café for a late lunch before heading back to the hotel for the night. Today we slept in a little and then headed to the metro station near our hotel. After getting on the wrong train (thanks Dan) at first – Professor Ryan's Parisian teaching style centers on "learning from our mistakes" – we switched directions and headed to the Louvre! Despite the gloomy weather, we had an amazing day, spending several hours in the renowned museum. We saw a lot of Ancient Greek sculptures and artifacts, along with many famous Italian paintings, including the Mona Lisa. 

We also got to see the original Code of Hammurabi and the Vénus de Milo from the island of Melos. After we left, we walked over near the Pont Neuf and stopped at the lock bridge that many of us (okay, the girls) remembered from Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 

Some of us grabbed croissants and baguettes for lunch, and after another afternoon of naps we had a group dinner at a nearby restaurant. Reading the menu proved to be a challenge, but we all made it through and enjoyed our meals, along with some chocolate mousse and crème caramel for dessert. Now we're relaxing in the hotel and following along with the Oklahoma tornado tragedy on CNN before bed. Tomorrow, the Eiffel Tower and perhaps the Musée d'Orsay await! À demain!