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"And the choices you made for yourself in life were real because they were made in the presence of death." - Sartre
It's really been amazing how much this trip has really made me understand France's resistance to war and violence. France didn't just lose their people, they were completely conquered. Their government betrayed them, became socialist and worked with the Nazis. The people were betrayed from within by their own people. Jewish citizens, french people, were taken from France and forced to leave their country. Visiting what I would dare call a museum dedicated to the hidden shame and pain of france. It's a memorial built in the shadow of Notre Dame, easily overlooked. It preserves the memory of the almost 200,000 french citizens who were deported and forced to Nazi camps and killed while France was under German control. Inside the narrow corridor is a small room with quotes carved into the walls with violent slashes. I had trouble understanding some of them while others I could translate. Behind a locked gate was a hallway full of lights on all sides and a beautiful arrangement of lillies. Each light represents one person killed. There are almost 200,000 lights in that tunnel. I mean, the sheer number was amazing. It was really one of the most beautifully mortal things I have ever seen. We then explored the Pantheon and all around the Latin Quarter, absolutely one of my favorite areas, there are things all around, stores, foods, people, new ideas just waiting to be found! Going out everyday is an adventure even on a field trip! After the field trip we went on to explore a great little area of shops, and had the most WONDERFUL ice cream ever. So rich and sweet and perfect. I had the Chocolat Blanc and the Caramel and it was totally heaven in my mouth! Going into the book stores was a lot of fun. I plan on returning to buy myself a copy of Le Petit Prince to read.AFter getting back I rested for a bit before going out souvenir shopping! I got a few more presents for people, I'm making lists to figure out what I still need to get for who and whatnot, but I'm really enjoying just exploring and seeing what I can find, there are so many unique little things all over the place!After that I went on a hunt for these rumored 1 euro scarves. I didn't find them, but I did get to Shakespeare and Company, a famous bookstore whose books are almost all in English! Most of the people in the store were English and it was just so exciting to hear English all around me again! I had trouble figuring out the method the books were organized in and starting feeling a bit yucky so I left and headed back to the Cite. I'm taking it easy today because tomorrow I am leaving the Cite at 6:15 AM for Avignon. It's a three hour train ride there and I won't be returning to Paris until almost 23h (11 pm) so it's going to be a long day! I'm excited though, there are a lot of great Museums and a HUGE film and theater festival going on right now that we will get to experience so that will be a ton of fun! This time I feel a little more prepared. I've kind of researched what to do, where to go and even possibly how to get there from the train station! Regardless I know it will be an adventure and a lot of fun. However, I am not going to go to Tours or Orleans anymore... there is too much to do in Paris still! But I'm so excited for my last full week! Bon soir!
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