Last Few Days as a Group then on to Paris

Saturday, I was on a mission to send back some of my clothing and books, it ended up costing about the same as it would have to pay for the extra weight for the flight between London and Amsterdam. I wandered around trying to find a box, because the post office had told me they don’t give out boxes. But, in wondering I ran into a friend in the program, Mansur, who happens to be Egyptian and have friends in Strasbourg from Egypt. So, with Mansur and his friend’s help we went to the post office. There, Mansur’s friend translated from French to Arabic, then Mansur translated from Arabic to English for me. We eventually got the boxes (you had to pay in full up front), and I was very grateful for the help. After filling the boxes and lugging 21 kg, in three separate boxes, back to the post office, I encountered a less than courteous post office employee. But, as that happens anywhere, I didn’t hold it against ‘la poste.’ After getting back I ran into some other students who are headed to dinner, so I joined in and had some delicious pasta with duck meat. Then, just as I was getting home and ready to go to sleep early, Stephanie, one of the girls that lives in the same apt-hotel complex, came by and ‘told me’ we had to go out for the last night in Strasbourg. So I of course obliged and we picked up a few other people and went out for the last beer in Strasbourg. It was bittersweet knowing I will probably never see any of those people again, but I had a great time and I’m glad I got the opportunity to meet such great people.

Sunday my roommate and I got up early to go to mass at the cathedral. The interior is just as awesome as the exterior, with ornate detail and what looks like a lot of time and effort. The entire proceeding was in French, but there was a lot of singing and organ playing which is enjoyable in any language. I got the impression the service is just a stock reading for tourists, as the cathedral was pretty full of them, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. After mass I went back to study all day, literally. I went out for a quiet dinner by myself but quickly returned to studying.

Monday ended up being a long day, to start we had all of our finals. The questions were very easy* compared to what I have been used to on law school exams. I would venture to say that only three of the six questions were analysis questions which required any personal input. The other questions were very straightforward factual questions, more similar to an undergrad exam, albeit still asking for technical details. After exams I made my way back to the hotel and relaxed in the lounge/bar area for a couple hours waiting to leave for the train station. I had a few beers with some of the other students as we talked about the best and worst presidents (leave it to law students to generate exciting conversation). I ended up travelling to Paris with one of the guys who had stayed at the apt-hotel, Marc, because he managed to be on the same train. After getting to Paris my other roommate, John, was waiting at the train station, his train ended up being only 30 minutes before ours, and he helped me get back to the hotel we are sharing. I’m glad he was willing to wait around because Paris is a HUGE city and the public transportation sprawls in all directions. It is by far the largest city I have ever been in, at least as far as ‘city’ is concerned, suburbs not included. After dropping of our bags, John was dead set on seeing the Eiffel Tower again because he left the very next morning and did not have another chance. So, at about 11:30 p.m., we took the tram to the Tower. It was an amazing site. Although the tower itself is not as large as some other regular buildings, it is amazing (in part because of its age) because it feels like a much bigger structure. The steel beams and connections make the tower feel more like a bridge to the sky. Even though it was about 1:00 a.m. by the time we left the tower, there were still huge crowds hanging around, drinking/smoking and just laying on the grass in the park. Although, we discovered that the trams we needed don’t run that late, so we started to walk but decided a taxi was a better idea. It was a long day and a long night but once again, an invaluable experience.

Tuesday morning I went to the train station to see John off and buy my ticket to London. Afterwards I wandered out of the train station and into Paris. I followed interesting streets and ended up moving closer to the city center. I passed some interesting buildings and parks (took pictures). I have no idea what they were or of any significance but they were remarkable, both in the look but also in the sheer volume of interesting things down every street. I ended up going through a park and ending up by the Louvre. Although, after having walked for three hours, I discovered the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. The real treat was just wandering the city and feeling the atmosphere. I definitely could live in a big city.