Day 7: Paris

Things I Learned Today:

1. Brown shoes do not go with Black Pin-Striped suits.

2. There are over 10 miles of exhibition halls in the Louvre.

3. I would never want to drive in Paris.

4. I know what a sardine feels like.

5. Walking is good for the soul.

6. Some things just need to be seen in person.

7. The oldest bridge in Paris is over 400 years old.

More Words:

Poulet = chicken
dame = lady
champagne = mushroom
appel = call


As one student put it today was “Art Day” in Paris. We spent the whole day admiring the different pieces of art throughout the city. From the architecture of the buildings to the paintings and sculptures of the masters and the wannabe’s.
The day started off with a guided bus tour of the city. And although it was very nice to be able to see all the famous landmarks, it was also hard because sometimes it was a very quick drive by without a really good opportunity to take the piece in. From the bus we got our first glimpse of the Arc de Triomphe, Concorde plaza and the Egyptian obelisk there, the Opera House, and the Hotel de Invalides. We also got a closer look at the Louvre, another pass at the Eiffel Tower, and many more points of interest in Paris. We saw the famous statue of the thinker, but mostly the backside of him! You could catch a side profile if you w ere quick enough. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the different parts of the city and the history behind them. And our bus driver made it through the maze of central Paris without a scratch. (At times it almost feels like there are no laws to govern how the cars move, especially when it comes to the traffic circles. It’s a complete free for all. People leave the circle from the inner most lane and just figure others will stop. Although there are no lanes marked, cars just seem to go where ever they please. All i know is ai wouldn’t want to do it. Especially not in a bus!
The last stop on our tour was the Notre Dame Cathedral! I know this is just one of many different cathedrals we have seen on this trip. But this one is just as worth it as the others. I even learned a few new things about them. The Gargoyles that jut off the tops of the Gothic style cathedrals are not just for looks, they are equivalent to our modern day rain gutters. It takes the water runoff and pulls it away from the building. Also the cathedrals are all in the shape of a cross, with the top of the cross pointing to the east. Plus at Notre Dame they have the biggest stained glass rose windows anywhere. We also found out that Notre Dame means “our lady” or “our mother”. So there are many churches and cathedrals with the name Notre Dame in France. They are usually just followed by the location or patron saint of the area. Anothe interesting fact is that the squar ein front of Naotre Dame is one of the most pickpocketed areas in all of Paris. I guess with everyone looking up to take in the grandeur before them, they forget to keep an eye out for predators like these. To help ourselves in such areas we wear our backpacks on the front. It’s not the most comfortable arrangement, but at least you know where your stuff is!
When you walk in to the cathedral to the middle section you realize just how massive it is. The roof is way up there! I can not remember the exact height, but it is something like 33 meters. And for the time it was constructed, it must of just seemed larger than life. Inside there are sculptures and more stained glass windows as well as paintings. One mural that really struck me was a carving. It basically represented the life of Christ as it walked you through everything form his birth to his death. It was quite detailed as it depicted important parts of his life. One portion that really spoke to me was the representation of the Kings decree to kill all the male babies in Jerusalem. Perhaps it is because I am now a mother of my own, or perhaps it was because of the anguish the artist portray din the mothers eyes as well as in Mary’s eyes as she looked back towards the city as her new family made it safely away. Either way it spoke to my heart like that part of the story never has before. I can not imagine the heartache of those mothers whose children were killed by such a selfish leader.
After spending time in the cathedral, we had a little while to look around in the surrounding shops and have lunch. We once again had bread at our meal as the majority of us purchased Panini’s from one of the store front vendors. They were really good, but I have finally decided that bread is not necessary at every meal!
After lunch we made our way to the Louvre. And if you missed it there are over 10 miles of exhibition halls in the Louvre as well over 30,000 pieces of artwork. Not counting the ones not on display. So I knew we would not be able ot do everything, but had to see as much as possible as this might be a once in a lifetime chance. We thankfully had a little longer than we have had at most other museums. But this museum is three times as large or more then the others so that was a good thing.
As there was no way to see everything we basically went to the most popular masterpieces. Some of the major pieces we saw were the “Psyche and Cupid”, The “Winged Victory of Samothrace”, “Aphrodite”, “Seated Statue of Ramses II”, the “Code of Hammurabi”, “The Wedding Feast at Cana”, and the “Raft of the Medusa”. Now we also saw many other pieces of artwork in between those main ones, but there was not much more time allotted than a brief glance as you walked by on your quest to find the next “big” thing. I actually started to feel bad for the pieces of art that were not a part of the “sign” group. (Only a few pieces of art had directional arrows guiding visitors to their locations.) But the highlight of the experience at the Louvre was probably seeing the Mona Lisa in person. I know we have all seen it on TV and in Movies. But actually standing in front of it and viewing it with my own eyes is probably something I will not forget. The painting is small compared to many others in the room where it is housed but it definitely draws the biggest crowds. I am not an art expert, but there is something about that painting that makes it special, and its not just because of its worth. I think its the eyes. They draw you in and make you wonder what this person was like. Who was she? What did he see in her that made him want to paint her? I don’t know any of those answers but I do know that it was just awesome to see. I also found out something unique about the Mona Lisa I had not known before. It has been stolen from the Louvre by a Guard who had “fallen in Love” with her. He slipped it out of the Museum and kept it rolled up under his bed. Lucky for the world after 3 years it was recovered and returned to its rightful place among the masterpieces of old.
The time in the Louvre flew by as we moved through the different corridors. By the time it was nearing time to go Jen was starting to dread the unknown around the next corner. You never knew when a set of stairs would arrive to take you down just to take you up again after one room! Plus it was so hot, that it really was terribly uncomfortable. There were nly short repreives from the heat when you coudl ifnd a floor vent that was blowing cool air. Although many of them were not blowing! And this may seem strange for those that know me and my sense of direction- but I am the map reader when we are inside museums and such. As hard as this is to believe I am really good at orientating myself to a map. I might not know which direction I am going but I do know where I am on the map and that’s what counts! And I am proud to say I moved my group through the maze that is called the Louvre without any problems. Unlike many of the other groups we never did get lost! Which was a good thing because I think if you got lost in there you might never get out. After the Louvre it was time for a Metro ride and dinner. Dinner was all right. We finally got some veggies in the form of potatoes. I think we all would have loved to have more of those, but there were not seconds so we savored what we had.
What’s crazy is our day still wa snot over. From dinner we took the metro to the “Artist District”. It is the area of Paris where you can find the people who will draw you for a price as well as others who are selling other types of paintings that have made. There was also a church atop a hill top with a great view of Paris. The hike up a hundred plus stairs was not much fun, but the view was spectacular. It was worth the climb!
In this area there were also a ton of shops that cater to tourists, so we spent some time wandering through them looking for the better deal. We also had to make sure and watch out for some shady individuals that try to tie you up, literally. Basically they stand around with what appears to be the beginning of a friendship bracelet, and as you pass by they attempt to lasso you around the finger. Then they start to build this bracelet for you to buy. It is quite annoying. They did not succeed in getting any of us, but we saw plenty of folks who got caught unaware. Our guides gave us the heads up first, so we could be ready for them.
By the time we were done with that it was time to call it a night. So we took the metro back to the hotel, spent a little time playing games and eating pizza (the dinners tend not to be entirely filling), and then getting ready for bed. Which I now am. So since my eyes are beginning to droop I better wrap up by telling everyone how much I miss them and the day to day grind. Although I truly think I am going to need a vacation from my vacation by the time I get home!