Paris

Paris
This past weekend the entire group of students traveled together to Paris which was about a four hour bus ride. As soon as we arrived we visited Notre Dame and then spent the evening at the Eiffel Tower. I really don't think that pictures give justice to the tower! We were able to go up into the second floor where we had an amazing view of the city. We stayed until the tower lit up at night and it was a gorgeous view. The next day we went to the Louvre and I can't even explain the feelings of recognizing so many paintings and sculptures that I didn't even know were in Paris! Some of the pieces I saw were the Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, Lady of Auxerre, and the Mona Lisa. The museum is so large with over 300,000 pieces from all different cultures and times. We also went on a boat ride and tour along the Seine River; afterwards we went shopping on les Champs Elysees which is almost like the Rodeo Drive of Paris. It faces the Arc de Triomphe, which is a great view. It was so packed with people but the shopping was very fun! On Sunday, we went to what was my favorite museum, Musee Rodin. Rodin's pieces are made mostly of bronze and his most famous sculpture is Le Penseur, or The Thinker. The museum is located in a garden so the atomosphere is very serene and I really enjoyed his use of displaying the curvatures of the human form. I convinced my friends to help me find a restaurant that Asha had raved about when she was in Paris two years ago; so after visiting Centre Pompudou we went on the scavenger hunt to find it and eventually did after asking for directions! The restaurant, Chez Janou and amazing food and especially their dessert, chocolate mousse. On Monday before we left we visited the village of Montmartre, where the church, Sacre-Coeur is located as well as one of the homes of Renoir. Before we left Paris, we also visited Tombeau de Napoleon, which is so large and under the large dome is where Napoleon Bonaparte is buried. Overall, the entire trip left me feeling inspired by the art and culture. I cannot forget to mention the crepes, ice cream, cheese and wine that we devoured! Some more pictures are posted on my Facebook profile but only a few since I took about 300! The city is always bustling with people, tourists, gypsies and vendors but the artistic and historic atmosphere is what completes the romanticization of Paris.