My first week in Paris has truly been unforgettable. We kicked things off on Monday with a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower, which was incredible. At the Parc du Champ de Mars, we had a full spread of baguettes, cheese, and meats. It was definitely one of my favorite moments of the week; the view was stunning, and we had an amazing time.
Picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower
On Tuesday, we did a scavenger hunt during class, which involved splitting into teams and exploring the city. We tried traditional French crêpes, relaxed on a footbridge overlooking the Seine River, and enjoyed French butter and cheese at a local café. At the end of the day, the whole class met up for a picnic at the Jardin des Tuileries. It was a lot of fun to explore, but more than that, I felt that my team and I really bonded over the course of our adventure, and this is an activity I will definitely remember.
Footbridge during the scavenger hunt
On Wednesday, I visited the Panthéon, and it was absolutely incredible. While the monument is well-known, I feel like not many people take the time to actually go inside. I highly recommend checking it out, the interior is stunning and filled with rich French history. The experience far exceeded my expectations and is definitely something I’ll always remember. My advice is to visit on a Wednesday when the tickets are cheaper!
Inside of the Pantheon
We visited the Musée d’Orsay on Thursday, when they offer discounted tickets. The exhibits were incredible, and the museum itself was massive, housed in a former train station that still has its original clocks. My favorite exhibit was definitely the ancient statues. I feel like there aren’t many art exhibits in the U.S. that feature sculptures, so I was excited to see them here in Europe. I was especially impressed by the level of detail, even on the largest statues.
Musée d’Orsay
On Friday, I visited Galeries Lafayette and Shakespeare and Company. Galeries Lafayette is a massive department store housed in a stunning building, best known for its beautiful glass-domed ceiling. You can also walk around the rooftop for free, which offers a scenic view of Paris. Shakespeare and Company is a famous English-language bookstore with locations around the world. Their very first store was established in Paris, and it’s still open to the public today.
Galeries Lafayette
Shakespeare and Company
On Saturday, I visited Sacré Coeur and the town of Montmartre. The church itself was beautiful, and so much bigger than I expected. It was also an awesome lookout point of the city below since the church was located on the hill. The surrounding town Montmartre was so cute, and full of smaller shops, artists, and restaurants. I would definitely recommend going, especially in the morning before it gets crowded and hot.
Sacré Coeur
To finish off my first week, yesterday (Sunday), I visited the Catacombs. It was a little creepy, since it was so far underground and the walls were quite literally lined with human skulls, but overall, it was really cool, and I would definitely recommend visiting.
Part of the Catacombs
For class, my team is the Twisteneers, and we are responsible for creating a device that can untwist jars, lipstick holders, or basically anything involving a twisting motion, for a French woman with limited hand mobility.
The main challenge with our current prototype is figuring out how to grip lids of various sizes in order to unscrew them effectively. We’re considering using a ratchet mechanism paired with an elastic component that can tighten around different lid sizes. However, we haven’t developed a fully functional prototype yet, so we’re still experimenting and refining the concept.
If successful, our design could significantly improve accessibility for individuals with limited hand mobility. With our device, users would be able to open items like pickle jars, lipstick, glue sticks, and more. Our device would not be just a practical tool, but also has the potential to make the world a more accessible place for everyone.
In prototyping, I was definitely the most helpful in making a prototype of a ratchet mechanism. The week before leaving for iSEED, I was actually using a ratchet wrench to fix something for my boss. Since I had used the tool so recently, I had a good idea of how the ratchet wrench worked and therefore was able to build a prototype based on that.
I struggled the most with visualizing how an elastic device could grip a jar lid and effectively unscrew it. In general, when an idea is something I personally brainstormed, I can vividly picture it in my head, which makes it easier to understand and eventually build. However, when the idea comes from one of my teammates, I usually need it to be thoroughly broken down before I can fully grasp it. This is something I’ve been actively working on, but it’s still a challenge for me. Since the elastic device was a teammate’s idea, I had a hard time picturing how it would work, which made it difficult for me to contribute to that part of the brainstorming process.
Overall, my favorite part of this week has definitely been just going out and exploring the city. From the Eiffel Tower, to the museums, to the Catacombs, I’ve experienced so much already, and I can’t wait to see what the next week brings!
For anyone coming to Paris with iSEED in the future, I would recommend booking certain things in advance. For example, I booked the Catacombs over a week before I went, and even then, tickets were almost sold out for that day. The same applies for a lot of the popular museums. Also, Paris is excruciatingly hot this time of year, so dress for the summer weather!