The Penn Stater Magazine

I’d Love to Join You for Dinner, but I’m Eating at the Eiffel Tower Tonight

July 11, 2010 at 1:53 am Tina Hay 2 comments

It’s Sunday morning here in Paris, and we’re about to set off for our first excursion as a group: a bus tour of the city. Although I’ve been exploring on my own for the past few days, there is sooooo much I haven’t gotten to, so I’m looking forward to getting a sort of “Paris Sampler” this morning. Also, the temperatures over here have been in the 90s, so the idea of an air-conditioned bus is immensely appealing.

I’m also looking forward to getting to know the other Penn State travelers—there are more than 50 of them, and we all met for the first time last night at the Penn State Alumni Association reception. (The photo here shows our faculty hosts, Ronnie and Sophie, introducing themselves to the travelers.)

The bus tour ends around lunchtime, and then participants can either have the afternoon to themselves or take advantage of one of the optional excursions: there’s a bus trip to Versailles; Ronnie is leading a walking architectural tour of medieval Paris; and Sophie is leading a visit to Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, where I get my second shot at seeing the graves of Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, and Abelard and Heloise, among others. By the way, Sophie says it’s traditional to take lipstick and kiss the grave of Oscar Wilde—if that’s not a photo op, I’d like to know what is.

The evening activities don’t sound too shabby, either: A boat tour on the Seine followed by dinner at a restaurant on the Eiffel Tower. Check back tomorrow for a full report. Film at 11!

Tina Hay, editor

P.S. You can see all of the postings from this Alumni Association trip collected in one place here and photos from the trip here.

NEXT: Today’s Bit of Paris Trivia

Entry filed under: Alumni Association. Tags: alumni travel, Edith Piaf, Eiffel Tower, Jim Morrison, medieval Paris, Oscar Wilde, Paris, Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, Versailles.