Excursion 4!

Hi everyone! Even though I already ended my language practicum over a week ago, I wanted to share these photos from my fourth excursion to the Latin Quarter. This area of Paris is walking distance from where I live and is really close to Notre Dame, as well. It is a young area, with lots of colleges and young students. The energy is amazing.

We were let inside the courtyard of a school. Here is just one of the buildings inside. I thought it was funny that they had 4 guards standing in front of what seemed like an empty school (nobody was back from summer vacation yet). Anyway, the buildings were very pretty, but we weren't allowed inside. We stayed for a short while and continued our walk through the area.

We passed by many other schools, including a law school and public school. I cannot remember exactly which school it is that is pictured above.

The Pantheon! This is located in the Latin Quarter and was probably my favorite stop of the day. I have seen this building in school and many pictures of it. The inside is gorgeous, and it is the burial place of many famous people!

We got in for free with our student cards here, too! Hooray! Here is the inside of the building in the main hall. My teacher is the women near the center of the frame. I really miss having her show us around the city. Although, at this point, all of her tours would probably be in French and I would not get as much out of them as I would want to. She has really been drilling French into our heads.

Voltaire's Grave! I have a picture of Rousseau's grave too, but it didn't turn out very well. This large underground room had many hallways and turns and was really creepy. It was cold and smelled like dirt. I kind of got the chills walking around.

creepy! This picture is kind of blurry because I wasn't sure if I was allowed in there so we took it quickly (:

Marie Curie is the only woman to be buried here! She is in a tomb right next to her husband.

Mr. and Mrs. Curie

The view as we walked out of the Pantheon, complete with the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Very Parisian! I just love the streets here.

Our teacher pointed out a few small stores and theaters that she likes, and then set us free for the day. Jen and I decided to head 10 minutes up the street the Luxembourg Gardens. It is open to the public and is a GIANT piece of land with the most beaufitul flowers, trees, and fountains. It was bustling with people, but didnt feel crowded. I absolutely fell in love with this place. We sat and people watched and just enjoyed the warm September day.

We stopped to listen to this band play for a little while. I loved this so much because I don't think I could ever experience something quite like this in the US. This say was just so cheerful!

I was SO OBSESSED with these flowers. I actually have no idea what kind they are (anyone know?). They were all over the place here and made the garden so cheerful.

The same plant from a different angle.

It was hard to get a good picture of the whole park. This was the central area. There were benches everywhere for people to sit. People were lounging, reading, enjoying the day, and even sun bathing.

It looks like a movie, huh? This was kind of one of those "pinch me" moments. 

At the back of the gardens were long liens of trees and paths in between. I took full advantage of wearing all my shirts and dresses while it was so nice here. It is starting to get cold and rainy, so I am glad I got some use out of my summer clothes! Actually about 2 minutes after I wrote this line, it started pouring outside! 

I think this shot is my favorite because it includes the flowers, the main part of the park, and the building in the background. Also, the blue sky adds great contrast.

The flowers, again. Haha.

Jen and I enjoying the sunshine!

After the gardens, we set out on a mission to find some food. This is just a random street in the Latin quarter.

Pastries everywhere! Yum!

So we tried to find the famous Berthilon Ice cream shop, and ended up just at a place that sells the ice cream instead, not the original store. We knew it was near Notre Dame, and did our best at asking people where it was. It led us here. Anyway, the ice cream was still really yummy and refreshing after a another long day of walking! I got two flavors: banana and ginger! They were so creamy and flavorful. It was the perfect way to end a great day!