Our first stop, of course, was for breakfast. We went to Bagelstein--the same place I had lunch at on Wednesday, just a different location. This one is right around the corner from campus! I had a yummy bagel and a really good hot chocolate.
Our first REAL stop of the day was the Pantheon. Before going in, we spent a little time in the square in front of it where there were a whole bunch of giant ice blocks that were apparently brought down from the North Pole. We think it must've had something to do with the climate change conference going on here right now.
Us with an ice block!
The inside of the Pantheon was super cool as well. We only thought we would get a discounted ticket, but our art cards allowed us to get in for free! I would've definitely paid, though.
Apparently it is (or used to be? I probably should've actually read the information panels) the Church of St. Genevieve, whose name I chose for my confirmation name almost four years ago. I thought that was pretty exciting!
The best part of the Pantheon, though, is the crypt. We saw the graves (or should I say caskets? What do you say when they're all elaborate and above ground? I'll stick with graves...) of Voltaire, Rousseau, the Curies, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Braille, and many others. I had thought Descartes was in there, too, but he was not listed on the map or anywhere to be found. Maybe he actually isn't there, or maybe he just isn't accessible to the public.
Rousseau
Voltaire
Marie and Pierre Curie
Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas
Thought this was neat. There was Braille writing underneath Braille's name.
After leaving the Pantheon (and playing with the ice blocks some more), we made our way toward the Eiffel Tower.
We even got to walk through the Luxembourg Gardens for a little bit.
Along the way, we came across Invalides, the military museum that houses Napoleon's grave. We figured we might as well pop in to see Napoleon while we were there. Once again, our art cards proved useful--we didn't have to pay for tickets!
Napoleon
Some other casket that I thought was really pretty
Us in our silly, paper Napoleon hats. Gina: "I feel cool. I feel like a pirate!"
At last, we went to the Eiffel Tower so that we could finally go all the way to the summit of it.
The weather really hadn't been an issue throughout the day; it was cold, but very sunny. Unfortunately, though, the top of the Eiffel Tower was windy as all get out. We were DYING. Our timing ended up being superb, though. We barely waited at all to buy our tickets and to get to the second tier, and when we left, those lines were just outrageous. Granted, we did have to wait in a very long, windy line to get from the second tier to the summit, but it was worth it.
We headed back towards campus after descending, but desperately looked for a bakery or cafe to stop at along the way to get some warm drinks. Eventually, we found what we were looking for, and I had a much-needed hot chocolate. Later, back on campus, we rested up for a little while and tried to get warm.
At about 6:50 or so, we headed out with hopes of having dinner at Les Fondus de la Raclette, where we ate on my birthday. When we got there, though, they told us we couldn't get a table without a reservation. Sad day. So instead, we walked up the street and looked at some menus before finally settling on a different restaurant to have dinner at. It proved to be pretty good as well. I had some type of sea bass with a really yummy risotto. We also split a pitcher of white wine.
Following dinner, the three of us watched yet another film in our "movies set around Paris" film series. Tonight's was probably the best yet: Ratatouille! God, I love that movie. It just has the sweetest ending. And it's hilarious.
Exhausted, and with another full day planned for tomorrow, we went to bed after the movie was over.
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