I got up at 8am to the others blow drying their hair and getting ready for the day. I had taken a shower the night before so I didn't have to get up as early as they did. I quickly got changed and brushed my teeth. I decided I would go eat breakfast before really getting ready for the day. I went down to find a great spread. It wasn't the Hilton but it was a good breakfast. It wasn't over done and it was enough to give us sustenance. I got a small bowl of cereal, and tried the vanilla pound cake bread and some baguette. It was interesting because instead of cream cheese they did laughing cow cheese. Back home it is hard to find but they had it every day. It was good on the baguette. I was shocked when I had the cereal to find the milk was warm. It wasn't the greatest texture but wasn't too gross to stop eating. During breakfast I watched the news, though in french I could get the idea of what they were saying. It was great to be informed again. After a wonderful breakfast I went upstairs to my room and finished getting ready for the day. Then I left the hotel and headed to the meeting spot under the metro, near the station. We all met at 9:30am. Once we were all there we went into the metro station. We took the train to our destination, which was a chapel that is mostly made of glass. The chapel is called Sainte Chapelle. It was absolutely breath taking. It was so beautiful! The inside with the color glass was so peaceful. I could have just sat in that chair forever and enjoyed the beauty. It was hypnotizing. There were also great stone carvings. The details were impeccable. After enjoying the splendor and going down to the gift shop we headed out to our next destination. We walked to the Pompidou, which was also really cool to see in person. I learned about it in history and to see it in person was another experience I’m lucky to have. The industrial style is something I will have to get used to, but I really enjoyed seeing it. Everything that should be on the inside was on the outside. The piping, the frame work, and the stairs. We entered and took the escalators up to the top. The escalators are encased in a plastic allowing us to see out. As we climbed to the top we could see everything out in Paris. After reaching the top and looking at the wonderful view we head down to the actual exhibits. I didn't get to see the first floor because I spent all my time on the second. It was a modern exhibit full of interesting pieces. It was great. I really enjoyed it even though modern isn't really my favorite style. But I was able to find some pieces that I liked. I also got to see Alvar Aalto's Chaise Lounge. It looked like if anyone were to sit in it they would fall through and totally bruise their tailbone. It was still cool to see in person. I've realized through out this trip that I love to see anything I learned of in class, because it makes me feel smart that I know what it is. I feel really full of knowledge. What people say, “knowledge is power,” is so true. It empowers you to feel good about yourself. After looking at the museum for a long time a group of us went to get food. We went to one place but their card machine was rejecting all our cards. So then Laura and I went to different place where our cards worked. I got a wonderful pizza. It was so good. I loved it. We also got some Baklava. Not as good as I have had in the past, but still really good. The group was supposed to meet in front of the Pompidou. A group of us were there and we sat in the sun for 20 minutes. We also took group photos, where the theme of staggering came back into play. Darrin is OBSESSED with staggering. After the group photos our group headed off to the Louvre. I had my group that I stuck with. It was Griffin, Stephanie, Danielle, Andrea, and me. We knew there were somethings we wanted to see and some stuff we didn't care about so much. I mean I would have loved to see everything, but there was not enough time. We decided we would only stay for a couple of hours. We went and found the Mona Lisa, there were so many people crowding around it. My group moved in so they could get a picture of it. I had seen it before but it is a piece you could see over and over again and not get sick of. We also saw the Last Supper, and Laura quickly ran in front of it to take a picture with it. After that we made our way to a piece I really wanted to see. It is a statue of Cupid and Psyche. It is my favorite myth so I had to go and see this piece in person. It was beautiful and my favorite piece of the day. After I got my picture with it we went off to see the famous Winged Victory and Aphrodite. They are pieces everyone should see. Yes they are famous and we see them in pictures and stuff but to see it in person is a whole different experience. It brings more value to it, I think. It may seem over rated but really enjoying. I like to find the less famous pieces too. We then took pictures in front of the glass pyramid that was designed by I.M. Pei. He is all about geometric shapes and glass. When I went there the summer before 8th grade I didn't like it and didn't understand it. I was like why would you put something like that right in front of such a great old building? Then I took the history class and watched the video where he talks about it and I appreciate it a lot more now. I get he was trying to compliment the older building and tie in the old with the new. It was great. We took jumping pictures in front of it and then headed back to the hotel. We walked up the stairs to get to the metro platform. I tried to get Griffin in front of me because I had a backpack and I didn’t really trust where we were. Unfortunately I ended up in the back. Some creep followed us up the stairs. He must have heard the one word of English we spoke. Laura turned around on the stairs and yelled at him to quit. He then offered me his cigarette, which I thought he would burn me with. I declined and made my way up the stairs, knowing what Laura was going to tell me. He had tried to pickpocket me. I wasn't too worried about it though because I have been lucky to travel a lot and so I don't put valuable things in the outside pockets. If he would have succeeded he would have gotten a handful of lady products. I also keep all my money and items like that in my purse which I keep a hand on. So we took the long metro ride back. I felt bad that everyone seemed sad or serious after. I then started to lock my backpack with my key chains just in case. I wasn't too stressed though.
Once we got to our station we were hungry and decided to get something to eat. We found this little Asian place where we all got something. Everything was really good but one item I didn't eat so I took back to the hotel to eat the next day. It was something different and something I enjoyed doing. It was interesting to have Asian in a country other then America. They don't do it too differently. After a wonderful dinner we headed back to the hotel where I called my mom. We had a long conversation and all I kept thinking was how I couldn't wait to see her on the 29th! I really enjoyed my trip but I miss my mom and dad so much. I love them! After our phone call I headed down one floor to Laura, Elyse, Danielle, and Andrea's room. I hung out with them for four hours blogging, catching up on the day, and girl talk. It was a good time. I was behind on blogs so it was nice to have this time to work on them. Then I took a hot shower. And went to bed. The next day we had to get up and meet by 7:30!
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| Sainte Chapelle |
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| The beautiful stained glass |
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| Pompidou |
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| The inside, just shows the industrial style |
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| the view |
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| The new part of the city... view from the escalator |
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| One of my favorite pieces. |
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| Alvar Aalto's Chaise Lounge |
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| Louvre Entrance |
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| Psyche and Cupid |
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| me and this wonderful statue! |
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