Our first full day in Paris!
We started our day getting to see the Eiffel Tower. For most
of us, it felt surreal as it was our first time seeing the monument up close
and in person. The Eiffel Tower is also especially significant to the Paris
2024 Olympic Games as the beach volleyball matches will be held right in front
of the landmark.
After taking endless pictures of us with the Eiffel Tower
and purchasing many souvenirs of the iconic wonder, we discussed the
significance of the Paris 2024 bid and some of its main selling points. One of
the biggest selling points was that Paris previously held the Olympics exactly 100
years ago in 1924. Some other points that they brought up to combat LA’s 2024
bid were that the games would be compact, which means that spectators, athletes,
and officials can easily move between venues, reducing travel time and that
they had full government support, which meant that security and infrastructure
that was planned to be built for the games would be backed and funded by the
government. We also got the chance to discuss how the Paris 2024 Games were
fulfilling all the Olympic legacies – Social, Environmental, Urban, Sporting
and Economic.
We then proceeded to the Arc De Triomphe which honours those
who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
After a bit of sightseeing, we headed our separate ways for lunch. Half of us
got crepes that we had been craving ever since reaching Paris.
After lunch, we headed towards the Louvre but not before
stopping at more Olympic sites for the Paris 2024 games. We managed to catch a glimpse
of the river Seine where the opening ceremony is going to be held, the ceremony is estimated to hold 600,000 people and a few more Olympic sites nearby, proving the compactness of the games. We then celebrated Professor Ryan’s birthday (Happy Birthday Professor Ryan!).
Professor Kim bought Macaroons to celebrate Professor Ryan's Birthday :)
At the Louvre, we all went our separate ways to view the different exhibitions. I managed to see the most famous artwork in the Louvre (the Mona Lisa) and many Greek statues that we had learnt about from Professor Ryan earlier in the trip.
My personal favourite exhibition from the Louvre was the
venue where they kept the French sculptures. It was also interesting seeing how the
different exhibitions were organised. While the Egyptian, Greek, and Islamic exhibitions
were very cluttered, the French sculptures were arranged beautifully under
natural lighting with plenty of ambiences.
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