Les Invalides and Finally Seeing My Big!

Classes started at an awfully early 9:15am this morning.  I did, however, manage to drag myself downstairs by a suitable hour for breakfast before class.  First we had french literature (where we were supposed to have started a play but had never been given the book.  So sad).  After dying during the long 75 minute french literature class, french civilization began.  We took an easy EU map quiz then learned about the different french political parties.


After class I made a quick lunch in my room then had to hurry to get on the metro to get to Les Invalides by 12:50pm.  Les Invalides is both the military chapel where Napoleon and other great french general are buried, but also a military history museum.

Napoleon's tomb was ridiculously large.  Apparently he's buried in multiple coffins in there.  Either way I found it to be excessive for such a small man.  And that's before you count my personal opinions about Napoleon and his war-mongering, despotic, mass-murdering ways.

After wandering around this area for a little while we went into the military history section of the museum and looked at all of the objects of medieval warfare.  The collection included everything from suits of armor to saddles to swords to crossbows.  They also have some of the first rifles ever created and used in combat.  It was definitely a very interesting series of exhibits.

After leaving Les Invalides, I went with three other girls from my group to a large electronics, computer, and bookstore called FNAC.  It's sort of like a multimedia superstore.  There we browsed their collections of literature, fiction, and most interesting: cookbooks!  I bought two, one for gourmet desserts and another for basic recipes.


We'd barely arrived back at the Foyer when the front desk called up to my room to let me know that I had visitors downstairs.  I ran down and was FINALLY reunited with my big!  Nikki, Ilia, and I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the Latin Quarter so they got a pretty good feeling for the neighborhood.  Then we went to a nearby cafe for dinner where I finally tried mussels.  They were delicious and fantastic.  Yummm.  After dinner we went to a bar nearby and got a few drinks and sat around talking.


Around 11pm they headed back to their hotel and I stayed at the bar a bit longer to hang out with some of the people from my group who'd shown up.  Around midnight I headed home because we're going to the Eiffel Tower tomorrow so I need to be up bright and early.  Oh yay.