exploring-the-city-of-lights

[exploring-the-city-of-lights]

Day 11 and 12 (it won't let me add pictures)

Today we did two things that I have waited for the entire trip, the immersive exhibit and exploring one of Paris's cemeteries. At the art exhibit, you're surrounded completely by visuals and audio which make you feel like you're inside the art that is shown. My personal favorite was the portion where they played Ground Control to Major Tom and it had some unique visuals to go along with it. Moving along to the Cemetary, we tried to find all of the famous people we recognized there, and we saw everyone that I wanted to see except Jim Morrison. I understood though that some in our group were feeling uncomfortable and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Today was a day I was very apprehensive of, graffiti art day. I knew going in that my portion of the mural would look terrible. I knew this going in, but once we learned how to control our spray and actually do it, I felt a little bit better. Sam and I worked on the "0" in the 90 together, both unsure and unconfident in our skills, but I like our color palette, our 80s/90s looks, and how we only used squiggles to do our assigned portion. Looking back, I'm glad we did it and I feel more confident in my artistic skills, but also I know that this isn't the art set that I will exceed in my lifetime.

[exploring-the-city-of-lights]

Day 9 and 10

Today we went to the Luxemburg Gardens and the Luxembourg museum to see their exhibit on women artists in Paris in the 1920s. This was a treat to see a exhibit made by women on how they wanted to be see/portrayed and not influenced by the male gaze or even how women were supposed to present themselves during this time. Images included women with no makeup, relaxing, nude, breastfeeding, and different positions and actions. It was a really good museum that many tourists don't think about going to, so it wasn't too crowded while we were there.

Today we went to the Musee D'Orsay, which houses a very large collection of my favorite art style, impressionist artwork. I feel like with impressionist art, you can feel the emotions of the artist and the subject much deeper than with other styles, and the blending of colors makes a much more exciting piece of art. I was particularly drawn to a piece by Cezanne, "Woman with a Coffee Pot", I think because of how sad she looked. This is actually the piece i did my monologue assignment on and wrote about the abuse she has suffered as a house worker. Later this evening, we went to see a play written by Ieonesco in the theater he started his performing company in, which I really enjoyed.

[exploring-the-city-of-lights]

Day 7 and 8

As you have probably noticed, I have been absent from here for the past couple of days. The reason is that I haven't done anything. I literally have only left once or twice to get food and some drinks for my day off. Today though, we had our ballet performance at the Bastille Opera. It was so magnificent and the dancers were truly brilliant. I had never read the play on which it was based before, A Midsummer Night's Dream, but that didn't stop me from understanding it and really appreciating it.

Our trip to Montmarte, what an adventure! This was another excursion that I had been looking forward to because of the art and the history of art that took place here. We begin by heading to the tallest peak of the city, the Sacre Coeur. Here we toured inside for a while and then made the trek to the top of the cathedral, where some amazing views awaited us. The trip up was by no means an easy feat, and several breaks along the way were made by me. Almost 400 steps up on a spiral stone staircase is a lot, especially when you hit your head on the ceiling a couple of times, but it was worth it to see the view of the city from the summit. After the church, we headed to our final stop as a group, the Montmarte Museum. This museum is in an old building where many famous artists stayed while making art and building their reputations. One notable artist, whose studio was on display, was Susan Valadon, and another famous artist who painted and resided here was Renoir. It was just really cool to see this special place and learn the history of this area.

[exploring-the-city-of-lights]

Day 4 and 5

Oh! Gastronomy day! This is the day that I've been looking forward to the most on this trip. I went into this day very excited to try different foods that I'd never eaten before and interact with the locals at a farmer's market-type venue. Finding my purchase was very exciting, but unfortunately, I did not enjoy what I got. There's only one example I can think of to describe the taste and that's cooked cabbage. I think I might have kept it out too long and it spoiled because someone else tried it, who had had this type of cheese before, and they also said it tasted off. My final review is that although I didn't care for the camembert that I got, I'm glad I got it so I know that I'm not a fan of it.

The Louvre, home to some of the world's finest art. I have never been more overwhelmed yet also comforted and relaxed at the same time. Everywhere you look, even on the ceiling, there are magnificent art pieces and you would never be able to see everything they have to offer. I know if we didn't have Nancy and Herman there to explain and give context to the art, I would not have enjoyed it near as much as I did. So far, I think this has been my favorite excursion.

This evening, we went to Sainte Chapelle to listen to a classical music concert. No words can describe how I felt walking into the chapel. The sight of all of the stained glass was absolutely breathtaking and having a concert here only enhanced the experience. I found myself just staring at a section of glass, while the music washed over me, for extended periods of time.

After the concert, most of the group decided to head to the Eifel Tower to see it lit up. This was something I've dreamed of since I was a little boy, so this truly meant a lot to me. I also think this was the moment when many of us became much closer with one another. It is my favorite memory of the trip so far.

[exploring-the-city-of-lights]

Day 2 and 3

Today is the first actual day in Paris. I can't believe everything we've done so far and all the places we've been. Today we went to the Arc de Triumph, strolled along the Champs Elysees, and had a writing prompt in the Tuileries. This was such an informative and exciting day, and it really made me feel at ease with using the metro system. Honestly, it isn't as hard as it looks once you learn how to read the signs and use the tickets.

Moving on to day three, we learned about the city's history all the way back to when it was known as Lutecia. I thought it was wonderful to go and actually see the ruins, the amphitheater, and the ruins under Notre Dame, of ancient Roman life here in France. Something interesting that I saw at the amphitheater was that kids were there using it as a park of sorts. They weren't being disrespectful or damaging it, but it was nice to see kids enjoying historic spaces like this because we don't have many, especially not any this old, in America. We also saw ruins of different establishments uncovered right below the Notre Dame Cathedral. Since we couldn't go into the cathedral, because of the fire several years ago, this was a nice alternative that not many tourists were at.

[exploring-the-city-of-lights]

Departure and Arrival on Day 1

Yawn, stretch, and get comfortable because we are packed and headed to the airport at six A.M. Getting boarded in Lexington to head for Atlanta was easy enough, and we have arrived before too long. Atlanta airport was absolutely crazy. People everywhere, so many restaurants, and a train system under it all to connect terminals! I felt completely overwhelmed! Also to be noted, this is the age of COVID, and I thought people were still taking the necessary precautions to stay healthy, but I saw myself and maybe 50 other people in the airport wearing masks. This surprised me, and even fewer people on the plane wore masks which shocked me.

Finally, sweet release for my poor knees, I can move freely again! Just joking, the plane ride actually went quite well with only a small hiccup with the kid sitting next to me sleeping on me for about two hours of the ride. Getting this plane ride over with was quite a relief because this was one of the things I was nervous about, but it was absolutely fine. If you have any issue with flying, download music or do something during takeoff and landing to get your mind off of whats happening and that worked for me.

I was among the first to arrive, so I had a little bit of a wait at the airport, but that gave me a chance to talk and get to know a fellow student, Mattie. After everyone arrived, we loaded up the buses and headed for our dorms. The rest of the day was spent getting lunch and touring the neighborhood, where we ended the day with a boat ride up and down the Seine. It was truly wonderful and it provided us an excellent preview of what we will see in the coming days. This first day has been long, as everyone is falling asleep from jet lag, but a great way to start our trip. We saw many spots and had several exchanges with locals to provide us an insight into this brand-new culture to us. I hope in the coming weeks I continue to feel this feeling of amazement and wonder. This truly is a wonderful and beautiful city!

[exploring-the-city-of-lights]

Pre-Departure - Mental Check-in

Taking a break from packing to write this, I just want to start out by saying how excited I am to begin this trip this time next week! This is particularly exciting for me because this would be a trip of many firsts for me: my first time out of the country (for more than 12 hours), my first time on a long-haul plane ride, my first time traveling by myself, my first time using my passport, and my first time being away from my family for an extended period of time at a considerable distance.

One thing I'm looking forward to in Paris is experiencing a new culture firsthand. As a language/culture studies major, I have read about many different cultures from many different places, but reading about a different culture and experiencing it are two different things. To truly understand it, you need to interact with it. I'm also looking forward to observing some of the world's finest art and sampling some of the best food/wine. Honestly, I'm hoping I don't gain 10 pounds from croissants and creme brulee!

As this is my first trip outside of the United States, I'm naturally nervous and anxious about traveling and all of the fun, government/border control things that come along with that. To aid with the process of entering/exiting the country, I have read blogs and articles and watched several YouTube videos to walk me through the process. The only other thing I am slightly nervous about is the fact that I don't speak any french. I bought a book, tried DuoLingo, and, in the end, have retained enough to say, "Sorry, my french is very bad, do you speak English?" Hopefully this time next week, I can learn a few more helpful phrases to get me around Paris, but in the meantime, I think I'll get back to packing and getting all of my last-minute items together to leave in a week. Au revoir and I'll see everyone in Paris!