Orsay, Rue Cler, Effiel Tower, Champs Elysses, Arc de Triomphe

The weather has only been getting warmer and warmer, and today was actually rather hot. On day five, we began at the Musee D’Orsay, which has mainly impressionist art. The artists included Monet, Picasso, Degas, Signac, and some Van Gogh. I really like this museum because most of the art was more recent, and it was somewhat refreshing since most of the art in the previous museums is very religiously-influenced and pretty ancient. They also had a lot of really large paintings, which is always impressive. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in The Orsay, however.

                One of the artists that I like the most in this museum, that I hadn’t really seen much of before, was Signac. His paintings were all really bright and the colors blended nicely together. I loved his technique most of all because it isn’t exactly pointalism, but it works in the same way. He makes a lot of small, uniform, horizontal strokes arranged perfectly to make the picture. It’s really cool because the individual parts all come together with one common purpose. I also really like Degas because he paints a lot of ballerinas and really captures the beauty of a dancer.

                After leaving, we walked along the Seine to meet Mr. Greenlee for lunch on the Rue Cler. Then, we began walking toward the famous Eiffel Tower. It was so much larger than I ever thought it would be, and so much prettier than I thought it could be. Typically, a huge mass of metal isn’t that appealing, but it is adorned with scroll work and other details that just make it really impressive. We took pictures, laughed at the scam artists mulling around, and laid in the grass for a while.

                Later, a group of us walked across the street and got a wonderful few of the Eiffel tower from farther up. Then, we took the metro to the famous Champs Elysses where we saw the Arc de Triomphe (also much larger than I imagined) and even walked under it. The Champs Elysses is a really expensive district and had stores such as Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Merceds Benz. It was exciting to walk down the street and pretend that we belonged among the rich Parisians. 

Luxembourg Gardens, Cluny, Sainte Chapelle

On day four, we began the morning with a literary walk. With no rain in the forecast, it was the perfect day for such an event. We found the “Rue de Fleurus,” which we read about many times in The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, where Gertrude Stein and Alice lived together. It was really cool because it was a little reminder of one of the major reasons that we took the trip: to continue the experience of the expatriate writers and understand the pieces of wisdom that they conveyed in their stories. 

                We continued on to the Luxembourg gardens which are definitely not to be missed. There was a large fountain area with trails among the hedges and those big, perfectly square trees all lined up along a green, grassy area. Also, the gardens are kind of nestled away in a small neighborhood, as most things are in Paris, and it was very quiet and peaceful and was a great way to spend a warm morning. 

                After this, we did some more walking, mostly along Saint Germain, which is very busy and is a popular street in Paris. We split up for lunch and I enjoyed a wonderful crepe with eggs, cheese, and ham. Meeting back up, we explored the Musee de Cluny, which has a lot of medieval exhibits. It was pretty interesting, but I feel especially sorry for any museum that has to follow the Louvre.  We also went to the Sainte Chapelle, which is large cathedral with supposedly some of the oldest stained glass in Paris. The inside was absolutely beautiful, and the upstairs was even more amazing, with stained glass surrounding the entire area.

                As the group split up, Mason and I did some shopping and exploring around the Notre Dame area. Later, we met up with some others at the Irish pub and had a good time eating and listening to the live music (and maybe singing along a little).

The Louvre and The Grand Colbert

Day three was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. We began by visiting the Louvre, which is so much larger than I ever imagined it. The size of it alone is jaw-dropping, but when you combine the beauty of the architecture and the charm of the history, there is no experience that can compare. As we entered the giant glass pyramid (familiar to many because of the Dan Brown adventure), the immensity grew even more because not only is the Louvre extensive and three stories tall, it goes far underground as well. There’s even a portion where you can walk through the original foundation of the building.

                As a group, we decided to visit the Mona Lisa, which is one of the most famous pieces in the museum. Walking through the museum was incredible, and I nearly broke my neck gaping at all of the ornate, gold-leafed, carved and painted ceilings. Although the room where Mona was located was rather large, it was packed from wall to wall with people. I fought the crowd to get a good look at her, and the painting is actually kind of small and worn. It was more about the experience, however, which no one will ever be able to take from me.

                After that, the group split up, and we had to pick and choose which exhibits we wanted to see most since it would months to see everything that the Louvre has to offer. We saw Egyptian pieces, the Seated Scribe, the Code of Hammurabi, Venus de Milo, and a lot of other really cool things. Keep in mind that this is all throughout a huge, beautiful mansion filled with something interesting to look at e very way you turn.

                My favorite exhibit that we saw was Napoleon’s apartments. This portion, the actual rooms he lived in and floors that he walked on, was so grand and unlike anything I will ever be able to step foot into again. Some of the features were a formal dining room, Napoleon’s bedroom with his actual bed (very small), and original furniture and knickknacks such as jewelry and chandeliers.

                That night, after some rest from all of our walking, the group headed out to a fancy restaurant, The Grand Colbert, for a nice dinner as part of our cultural experience. We had wine and champagne and ordered very extravagant meals. In fact, it is the most money I have ever spent in a restaurant. I tried new things, such as oysters and “real” French toast, and we all had a really fun time laughing together. It was an extravagant day walking amongst the mansion of great kings and then dining like a queen.  

Musee de Carnavelet and Notre Dame

     Day 2 in Paris was the beginning of our real cultural education. After beginning the day with croissants and hot chocolate, we walked to the Musee de Carnavelet, which is the history of Paris museum and is in our district. One of the strangest things was that it was a huge palace right in the middle of town. The art was extremely amazing, but the major wow factor was in the building itself. With original staircases, murals, furniture, and ceilings, the museum went on and on. 

(Musee de Carnavelet)

     After this, we walked to the Picasso museum, but it was closed for renovations. Our group split up at this point, and some of us decided to go to Notre Dame. So we hopped on the metro and went over to what is commonly referred to as the "city center." We crossed the Seine and began searching for a place to eat. I really like this part of Paris better than others we had been to thus far because it was more touristy and I felt more comfortable. 

(Near the Seine River)

      After eating an interesting lunch, we headed to Notre Dame, which is huge and impressive even from the outside. We entered with the crowd and fell into silence under the awe of what we found inside. There were a lot of people, so it was difficult to see at times, but Notre Dame just opens up into a large hall with various paintings and pieces of history. We also got to go into a section with the treasury of the church and saw real clothing, hats, diadems, and chalices used. It truly was amazing and I will definitely find time to go back before the trip is over to climb to the top of the tower. 

(Notre Dame)

     After that, we just walked around the area shopping in the little boutiques and souvenir stores. It was a really great day spent with the other people on the trip and experiencing the many things Paris has to offer!

The Start of an Adventure

      Our first day in Paris, and of course the full day before spent traveling, began a series of many discoveries and "adventures." After our 4-hour layover and 8-hour flight, we at last made it to our destination--exhausted but excited. As someone who has never travelled internationally, even the airport was a bit of a culture shock. There were people everywhere, very few of them speaking English, and they all seemed to know exactly where they were going and appeared to be in a hurry about it. We fell right in step though and lugged our bags onto the metro. 

      It took about twenty minutes to get to our hotel stop, and along the way I got my first glimpses of the city. This portion was nothing like I expected--it was dirty and te buildings were pretty boring and covered in graffiti. I assumed that this was just a rougher part of Paris and kept my expectations high. 

      Our hotel, the Herse d'or, is in the Bastille district. There are a lot of shops and tons of traffic around. We walked around searching for lunch and got rained on. The Parisians seemed unaffected by the weather however, so we didn't let it stop us either. 

(Bastille)

      Later in the afternoon, we hopped on the metro once again and travelled near the Opera house to by our tickets for te museum. This district is much closer to what I expected Paris to be like--the architecture was absolutely beautiful and the buildings towered over the charming streets. We once again got heavily rained on and learned the value of a hot cup of coffee in Paris. Finally the weather was too much and we decided to head back to the hotel. 

(Opera house)

   After a dinner with Kim Zerkel, where I was very please to find some American-type food as well (I wasn't exactly ready to jump head first into French culture), we visited the palace and park where Louis XIII got engaged. 

      Exhausted, wet, and cold, yet still enthrall and excited in Paris, we went to bed to regain our energy for the rest of the trip! 

Lesson of the day: Crosswalk lights mean it! If you don't wait for the walking sign, you will most assuredly get run over.  Paris drivers have places to be.