Kicking of the Conference along with a visit to Notre Dame, the Love Lock Bridge, and the coolest jazz club

By: Halle Garrus

Edited by: Bryan Weary

Sunday started off with a visit to the notorious Catholic Cathedral and one of the most treasured Catholic monuments, Notre Dame de Paris ("Our Lady of Paris" in French), Or most commonly known as  Notre Dame. Located in the middle of the River Seine, this nearly 800 year old monument stands as one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in the city of Paris and is also known to be the home of the most famous bells in the world. Also located along the River Seine just a short walk from Notre Dame is the Love Lock Bridge. This bride is a very famous tourist attraction mainly for couples, but who cares right? It’s still a pretty cool idea that one day some body or some couple put one pad lock on this particular bridges medal railing and years later there are countless locks and locks on top of locks on top of locks! Obviously the trend caught on quickly because this bridge attracts thousands of tourists every year and you can guarantee they are placing a lock on that bridge. The trend has caught on so much in fact that people have started placing locks on other bridges along the River Seine. Of course there is nothing like the original but hey, maybe in a few years you won’t be able to tell the original from every other bridge that crosses the Seine. After a boat ride along the River Seine it was time to officially start the international Media seminar. To start off the conference we had the privilege to meet and interact with students that are attending the American University of Paris and hear about their experiences working and studying international media. After meeting the incredible students who attend AUP it was off to dinner and a very fascinating underground jazz club that long ago used to house prisoners. Overall Sunday gave an eye opening cultural experience that needless to say you couldn’t get anywhere else other than the beautiful city of Paris.