Tuesday Day 9 Paris May 29,2012

Today was a busy day of company visits, shopping, and evening fun. First we visited Hard Rock Cafe for a presentation and lunch. Our speaker John Shaw was from Australia so it was easy understand him. He gave us a brief history of the restaurant and told us all these crazy stories about the famous rock stars that occasionally visit the restaurants. On our way out we spotted a market stand with suitcases and bags. Of course I couldn't pass that up and I found a cute purse and a wallet. At another close by stand I also found a couple of floral printed scarves. I thought those would make a great gift for a few of my friends. Down the street awaited the Paris Opera House, and I had to check that off my Pinterest pin must sees. All I can say is wow, it was absolutely gorgeous. The inside was very similar to Versailles Hall of Mirrors, but with more red and gold hues. The chandeliers were breathtaking and the interior design was elegant and grand. I was glad to check off another Pinterest "take me here" pins. Our last company visit in Paris was Galleries Lafayette. They hosted a fashion show for us and featured designers such as Valentino, Kenzo, and Ralph Lauren. All the models were so beautiful and did a great job. The presentation afterwards was good, but not as extravagant as harrods. Galleries seemed to have more inexpensive products than Harrods but the the overall feeling in the store was a bit snooty. I liked it, but it was not nearly as welcoming. Soon we all went back and packed, I definitely bought a lot of souvenirs and gifts from Paris. My bag was so stuffed I had to unzip the extender. Hopefully I can pack in a few smaller items from the other countries we will be visiting. After a nice relaxing afternoon a group of us made our way to a crepe stand in Saint Michel. The people loved us there and we were even able to get a few interviews with some locals. They were hilarious imitating our "Texas Accent". We all ate crepes and had a great time hanging out and talking with each other. Once we finished eating and interviewing we all went to sit and watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle. It was even more beautiful up close at night. We snacked on cheese, chocolate, and drank wine...how Parisian haha. Most of the study abroad group was there so it was nice to have us all together experiencing our last night in Paris together by the Eiffel Tower.