Fourth Stop: Paris

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We finally arrived in Paris and our programm for the city was very long. On our first day there we went straight to the Institut de France, because we had an early appointment to visit the library. Our guide, who was working in the institute, was able to tell and show us the most interesting facts about the building itself. The library was very impressive, in such an environment I would love to study. But our visit was over and we walked the short distance over to the louvre. We did not go inside because the line was rather long and we didn't have the time for it, but the topic of our excursion was the early modern french history (plus the 19th century french history) so we concentrated on the events of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre 1572. No better place to discuss that topic as next to the louvre. We passed the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, the little sister of the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile. On the next day we passed the Sorbonne university and the Pantheon, to reach our next destination: Notre Dame. After a short stop and realizing that the line was way to long, we decided it was time to see the Eiffel Tower. We took the Metro to the panorama platform and after a small break we went to the Galeries Lafayette. From the platform of the roof we were able to see the whole city and there was also time for a bit of shopping there (even though most of the goods were brands and way too expensive). Our last stop this day was the German Historical Institute, where we took part in a small discussion with german and french historian and professors. That evening we finished our two days in Paris with a nice libanese dinner and went to bed early, because the next day had another full schedule.

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