Today was primarily a class day. We started off at the Eiffel Tower, where we told we would not be able to go to the top of it due to wind. I was interested to hear that they had originally planned to tear this iconic structure down after it was constructed. The views from the third tier were insane, so I was fine with not going all the way up. We headed to the Musee de l’Homme, which was not what I expected. The exhibits were very spaced out with few people, which was actually pleasant break from the chaos of the Louvre and other museums. I liked exploring this without a guide. Afterwards, we got lunch at very Parisian restaurant near the train station. The Pasteur Institute was of special interest to me, as he was my favorite scientist to learn about before the trip. Walking around his lab, I was not only impressed by the work he performed there, but also how he had to blow his own glass and make his own equipment for each experiment. From there, we went to the Musee de Arts et Metiers which also houses Lavoisier’s laboratory. I appreciated our guide’s enthusiasm, but it was no match for our class’s lack of energy. We headed back to the hotel and found a restaurant with happy hour deals where a large group of us could sit outside together. A lot of inside jokes came from this meal. Later, I went to see the Bastille which was a little disappointing. John later informed me that the one still standing isn’t even the real one.
