Les Musées

Paris is a city rich in culture and history, during our week we visited several museums in which we saw renowned paintings and sculptures that many of us had learned about in art and French classes. Our first museum visit was the Louvre. Of course, as fate would have it, the wing displaying the French paintings that we had researched was closed off on Mondays, forcing us to cancel our prepared presentations. But, in the spirit of our group motto “on s’adapte,” instead of being discouraged, we used the extra time to explore the rest of the Louvre and visit exhibitions such as African art and the underwhelmingly small Mona Lisa.

Images from outside the Louvre. The infamous pyramids, and an even more infamous

In addition to the Louvre, we also went to the Pompidou Centre, the Musée d’Orsay, and the Musée Rodin. The Pompidou features modern art, where we got to see works by Henri Matisse, Picasso, and Kandinsky. We were supposed to visit the Carnavalet museum, but with our luck of course, it was closed for renovations. Once again true to our motto, “on s’adapte”, we went to the Rodin Museum instead, where we saw “The Thinker” and a collection of sculptures from Auguste Rodin’s career.

The famous statue of The Thinker, poised above the gardens at the Musée Rodin.

Our last museum, the Orsay, was a group favorite since it had sculptures, a wing full of impressionist paintings, and a temporary exhibition on Degas. Despite some occasional bad luck, we enjoyed learning about art and spending time out of the frigid streets of Paris.

Cate checking the time upstairs in the Musée d’Orsay.

Hallway of the Musée d’Orsay which used to be an old train station, since converted into a museum. 

Zach presenting his painting by Auguste Renoir at the Musée d’Orsay, while Professor Caldwell and the rest of our group looks on in admiration.

Les Spectacles

Being in Paris, a city famous for its culture, there was no way we could’ve missed out on the many shows it provided. As a group, we attended a modern dance show at Gymnase M. Bell, and although we did not get the best seats, it would be a lie to say we did not all enjoy it immensely. We went to see short plays at the Théâtre de la Huchette, and while these plays were a little bizarre to some of us at first, we grew to be fond of the shows as they went on. Dr. Caldwell also got us tickets to see the play, Le Petit-maître corrigé at one of the oldest theatres in Paris, La Comédie-Française. It was a unique and entertaining experience, to say the least.

The spectacular decor and paintings found in La Comédie-Française

The playbill for Le Petit-Maître Corrigé at La Comédie-Française

Inspired by the modern dance show we saw, some of us continued to pursue that interest and bought tickets to see another modern dance called the Trois Sacres. It turns out that although both shows belong to the same genre, the feelings they gave off were completely different; one was light and entertaining, while the other was darker and more thought-provoking. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the spectacle because it presented to us a different side of dance.

Paris is known as a global center for art and culture, and through these various spectacles, we took full advantage of all the city had to offer.

Nos sites préférés

We visited several monuments and famous sites during our stay including the Sacré Coeur and Notre Dame.

The famous towers of Notre Dame

The Sacré Coeur sits atop the hill that houses the neighborhood of Montmartre, famous for its talented street art vendors. Within the Sacré Coeur, we saw some of the most incredible mosaics, full of immense detail. Outside the Sacré Coeur, we lounged on the steps, bathing in the heat from the sunshine and looking out across much of Paris lying below us.

The basilica sitting atop the hill of Montmartre.

All in all, an interesting and entertaining week.

Until next time! On s’adapte,

-Lessi, Cate, Sebastien, Sarah, Macalah, Charlton, and Azlyne