So, if anyone ever tells you that they never studied for anything while studying abroad and they still got all A’s is one of two things…lying through their teeth about studying or lying through their teeth about getting all A’s.  IES Paris is no joke, but I am enjoying it immensely.  I tend to over-study anyway because I like to be prepared, but I am very thankful I did because I feel pretty good about my mid-terms (5 exams in 4 days).  I probably just jinxed myself there, but after writing for 1 1/2 hours for each of my 5 exams, without running out of information to write about, it feels really good to be done with that little milestone.  Steel-Troll and Steel-Duck agree!  They are plumb worn out! 

So, next weekend is our fall break; we get 5 days in a row off, so I’m thinking of taking a day trip to Chartres to visit the old town and the magnificent cathedral there.  It’s famous for its’ stained glass windows, so I would really love to see them.   

We have made some really wonderful outings around Paris with 2 of my professors, one for History of Architecture and one for History of Paris.  My History of Paris professor has been teaching for IES for over 35 years and he is amazing!  Every student has the utmost respect for him and he teaches from memory; he uses no notes whatsoever.  His commentary during our outings is so detailed, I literally took 7 pages of notes on our last visit and we got details that you would spend hours researching in a library.  Amazing! 

Here’s some pictures of Les Invalides, which was built for the old soldiers by Louis XIV.  You see here part of the huge fa�ade in the front, the inner courtyard and Napoleon’s tomb.  You might look at his tomb and think, “oh, that wood is beautiful,” but it’s not wood, it’s highly polished stone.  Absolutely magnificent! 

I’ll be posting again later this weekend since I have a lot of pictures to sort through and I’d love for everyone to check them out.  I’m going to finally relax and maybe go to bed before 2 am.  Yay!!!!

Until the weekend…Mary

Location: Paris, France