A bizarre vacation.

This is how I've recently been describing my time in Paris to people. I have been here a week today, but I do not start class until Friday. Therefore, besides a few meetings, I've had all my time to myself to explore Paris and see the sites. But as I only know the few students who are in my program, I'm on a dream vacation with a bunch of people I don't know. It's a strange situation, but I certainly can't complain.

If it won't bore you too much, I'd like to share with you my impressions upon visiting some of the great sites of Paris.

The Louvre

The biggest art museum in the world. And I have a free pass. SCORE. Unfortunately, it was cloudy the day we went and I didn't get a great picture of the outside, so you'll have to trust me when I say it was one of the more impressive things I've seen in my life. And perhaps some days after class I'll just hop on the metro and see an exhibit before I go home :)

We spent most of our time inside at the Egyptian exhibit, which is also very impressive. Pieces of walls with hieroglyphics; furniture, jewelry, and everyday items from the period; elaborate caskets. One of my favorite parts was definitely the mummy. I think it was probably even creepier than going to see the catacombs, because it is someone's body preserved in those wrappings. You call see all the fingers and the bump of his nose.

Oh, and I found miniatures of my family. I think that's Elliot on the right :P

Sacre-Coeur

Sacred Heart Cathedral. We went to see this on a beautiful clear and sunny day. Inside the church is a beautiful mosaic of Christ and no matter where you are in the church, it looks like he's watching you. Sounds creepy, and sort of is, but it was nonetheless absolutely beautiful.

Also, the church sits at the highest point of the city, so the view is wonderful.

The only awful thing about all of these beautiful palaces, monuments, and cathedrals is the tourist-y gimmicks around them and especially the vendors and beggars who can sometimes distract from the experience.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not completely unsympathetic to the poor people I see. I saw a man asleep on two seats of the metro today. It was truly sad. But when we were climbing the steps to Sacre-Coeur, this group of people who claimed they were from the Association of the Deaf and Mute, kept harassing us to sign their petitions and give them money. They were definitely the most persistent and mean beggars I've ever come across. There were probably about eight of them and they kept cornering my friends and me. I made the mistake of signing their paper and being sympathetic, because then this woman kept blowing me kisses and stroking my arm, trying to get me to give them money. They punched one of my friends and tried to take the money out of her wallet when she gave them two euros. Then they tried to tell her the minimum donation was ten euros. As if that wasn't proof enough that they were frauds, we heard them talking rather loudly on our way back down. It honestly shook me up a bit.

And the terrible thing is that that's what I remember most vividly about my visit. This gorgeous cathedral and then all I can think of is these creepy gypsies. I hate that they would put a damper on my visit, or I guess more so that I would let them do so.

But I have to say, I now have a much greater appreciation for people who give a speech on the metro asking for money or people like the man below who play music for change. This man was playing the soundtrack to The Godfather and smiled at me when I took his picture. He and this other man who was playing Simon and Garfunkel on the steps made me happy. They might have been begging for cash, but they were enjoying themselves a bit too.

Versailles

Again, apologies for the bad long shot. I often get so distracted by all the details that I can never manage to take a decent long shot. But the gold is really that shiny and it is much bigger than this picture makes it appear.

The inside is so decorated and ornate that every square inch is like a work of art. 

 The hall of mirriors (the first picture) is definitely the most amazing part of the interior. The rest is gorgeous as well, but after a while, it becomes a bit disgusting. When Louis XIV built this, majority of the country was starving and he used the estate to basically rob the only other people who had any money, the nobility. The nobility all wanted to come live at Versailles, but to do so they had to a) pay people to take care of their property b) buy the extravagant clothes of the court and c) gamble their money while playing cards with each other. With this method, Louis took financial control of the country and therefore gained complete power...or I believe that's what Mme Justice-Templeton was trying to teach us in my class last semester.

But anyway, with all of that in mind, the palace is certainly a beautiful place, but its history holds it back from the pure beauty of other places like the cathedrals. As the recording I listened to while walking through the palace said, even the nature outside the window seems a little too calculated.

 When I walked through and around the place, I tried to imagine what it would be like to be Marie Antoinette or a servant and have even the view from your window look so perfect. Louis and his advisors seemed to bury themselves in wealth and luxury so much that even when the country began the rebellion, they must have easily tricked themselves into thinking that nothing could touch them. It must have been an unbelievable site to see the peasants storm the palace at the revolution. And as a servant, I'm sure I would have welcomed the rebellion. I think seeing all that extravagance day in and day out wasted on only a few people would make me sick.

Whenever we go to a tourist area, there are always groups of kids on field trips with their classes to see the places and learn about their history. Today I tried to remember where I went on field trips and with my family for special days out, and all I can think of is the zoo or this little historical park in my hometown with exhibits about the pioneers and the Wright Brothers. We never saw fancy things or grand buildings. Everything was about survival, simplicity and innovation. Such a different way to grow up.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a week. I've greatly enjoyed my tourist time, but I'm anxious for class  to start and begin living like a student again, not a tourist. But I don't think I will mind going to museums after class once in a while :)