June 11, Montparnasse / Pere Lachaise

Montparnasse Bievenue, the metro stop on the 13 line in which we got off to go to the Montparnasse Tower. There we got to go up the tower and see a panoramic view of Paris including the Eiffel Tower. I had originally planned to visit the building because I had read about the amazing view so I was delighted it was a tour site. After baking in the sun for a while we decided to go back to the hotel and change into more comfortable shoes; we were told there was a lot of walking involved at the next tour; Pere Lachaise. The tour of the Pere Lachaise  Cemetery made me realize why it was known as the Lively City of the Dead, it was a calm and serene place unlike other cemeteries which are depressing and moody. Each tomb told a different story and it paid tribute to the dead.

After the tour we were dismissed as a class and several of us went nearby to eat lunch. We settled on a place called La Factorie where we discussed our views of Paris so far. We realized that we were all room mates, Irina with Rehana, Jonathan with Vital, and Kimberly and I; room mate bonding time. After lunch Kimberly and Jonathan decided to go back to the hotel while the rest of us decided to visit Rue Mouffetard; a location given to us by some of the French students at the breakfast back in New York. We stopped by Luxembourg Gardens first to rest our legs and see the sunset and then chose a random bar for a few drinks. Reflecting back on the Montparnasse tour, I remembered hearing about the negativity that came from the citizens about the building made me realize that the Parisians viewed it as a modern, ugly skyscraper and when I was at the Luxembourg Gardens, I agreed with their thoughts.

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Steak Tartare from La Factorie

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Group picture holding our free macaroons

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Cheers to Paris

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Histoire de Paris : Rue Mouffetard

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Street along Rue Mouffetard

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Ice cream

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Free macaroons from La Factorie

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View of the Eiffel Tower from Montparnasse Tower

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Group picture at Montparnasse Tower

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Luxembourg Gardens

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Salmon sandwich from La Factorie

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