Originally published on January 9, 2014, this blog post series is an undergraduate short-term study abroad trip in Paris, France in partnership with Salve Regina University and AIFS Abroad. The blog post may have been edited for clarity and updated with relevant travel information and links.
I’m a little behind on blogging already—combatting the WiFi has been a challenge—but it’s really been the only difficulty I’ve faced so far. As frustrating as it can be when I’m trying to blog or work, I have to keep calm and remind myself that I’m in Paris, connected to the Internet or not.
Yesterday was the first day of classes at Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne. We started with an introduction to the course and then went to tour La Crypte de Notre Dame, which is located underneath the cathedral. It turns out there are ruins of Lutèce, the ancient city center that would eventually grow and become Paris. There was a forum that served as a market, meeting place, and baths and the amphitheater, known as Les Arènes de Lutèce. The ruins in La Crypte, as well as of Lutèce in general, have been excavated since the mid-19th century and continue to be excavated today.
After class, we went to the Galleries Lafayette to check out the first day of les soldes. Kelly and I waited in a line to get into Longchamp—we found a cute bag with the Eiffel Tower on it, nearly bought it under the belief it was 40% off, then it turned out it was only available for full price at 85 €. Needless to say, it was a low point in the trip when quickly decided to leave Galeries Lafayette empty-handed, without our dream Paris souvenirs.
New England Parisienne 
One thought on “Paris, Day 3: La Crypte de Notre Dame and Galeries Lafayette”