Hi everyone, this is Maeve! In (what some might describe as) my signature late fashion, I’m coming at you with a June 1st blog post almost one week after it happened! So let’s travel back in time together to a soon-to-be rainy Saturday morning in Paris…
The morning started off pretty slow and was largely up to us to fill in, as we didn’t have anywhere to be until the Musee de l’Orangerie at 11:30am. This gave us time to either sleep in, or do a bit more sight-seeing. A handful of us ventured over to the Jardin du Luxembourg to revisit the quaint coffee shops and lush greenery we had enjoyed the previous week. It was very peaceful being there so early in the day - the park was sprinkled with couples strolling hand-in-hand, people reading books on benches, and families kicking soccer balls around - we even saw some ponies being ridden by young children. After stopping to get some coffee and orange/apple juice in the gardens, we took a seat next to the Palais du Luxembourg to soak in the atmosphere.
Before we knew it, it was time for the Musee de l’Orangerie! The Musee de l’Orangerie is best known for its egg-shaped rooms which feature side-by-side panels of Claude Monet’s famous Water Lilies paintings. It was incredible seeing these famed works of art up close - I must admit, I was shocked to learn there were no glass barriers in front of the Water Lilies paintings, though surely no one would think to touch…spoke too soon! A few members of our group witnessed a guest touching the canvases with their bare hands! Major yikes. I guess there are still some people in need of a course on museum etiquette.
Although the Musee de l’Orangerie is known for its Water Lilies, those willing to venture outside of this section will find that the downstairs exhibit is filled with works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and many other artists! It was really interesting seeing these artists' individual techniques and style change throughout the decades.
On we trekked from one museum to the next! Any guesses on the next one? Hint: from the outside it looks like a large glass pyramid…
THE LOUVRE!!!!
It was a pretty large line to get inside the museum, a fact that certainly wasn’t helped by the downpour of rain we were experiencing. Thankfully, Patrick generously distributed his bucket hat and umbrella to those without proper rain gear (ahem, moi).
Once inside, we were all overwhelmed with the sculptures, paintings, and vast exhibits spread throughout the Louvre! Graecia informed us that if we were to just spend 30 seconds on each piece of art, it would still take 100 days to see all of the art in the Louvre - and that’s without any sleep/rest!
One fascinating sculpture we saw (entitled Captifs) featured four captive men, which were each representative of a defeated nation: Spain, The Roman Empire, Brandenburg, and Holland.
Left: Roman Empire. Right: Spain.
Spain is represented as a young, smooth-faced man with flowy hair. He has an upward gaze, which indicates hope. On the contrary, The Roman Empire takes the form of a bearded old man who appears to have given up; the old-aged man’s head is bowed in a sign of defeat. Holland is represented by a feisty young man with a short beard, whose defiant expression and thrust-forward shoulder hints at rebellion. Lastly, Brandenburg is an old man with a grief-ridden expression. With one hand clutching his cloak, Brandenburg appears to be in pain. All four of these figures are chained and (depending on how one views it) signify the past and possible future of the nation they represent.
Left: Holland. Right: Brandenburg.
After touring the sculpture exhibits, we eventually made our way to the Mona Lisa!
It was really cool to see the Mona Lisa up-close, although the room was certainly very crowded. We also viewed the Crown Jewels exhibit on the opposite end of the same floor. Ooh-la-la!
After the Louvre, many of us took some much-needed rest before dinner. I believe we had visited around four museums within 24 hours at this point!
We grabbed dinner as a group downtown and got to meet Juliet and Patrick’s friend, Eric, who they knew from their time in AmeriCorps! He was so kind/friendly to us and it was great to hear their stories about how they all met back then, as well as their adventures in AmeriCorps. At dinner, Eliot and Dari ordered escargots (supposedly a staple in French cuisine). Thankfully, the dish smelled mostly like garlic (as opposed to cooked snail), but I can confidently say I was still not brave enough to give it a taste. Eliot, on the other hand, appeared to enjoy the appetizer which matched the snail tattoo he had gotten back in Nantes! Talk about a full-circle moment.
What better way to end the day than a river cruise on the Seine. We embarked on a 9pm boat cruise, which tied a lovely bow on the amazing time we had spent in France together. We danced to music (see: Paris by Taylor Swift) and took in the historic landmarks around us. To our surprise, the boat cruise passed by the Eiffel Tower just as it began to sparkle!! A truly magical moment for all of us.
Thank you to Juliet and Patrick for making this trip so special and memorable for everyone. And, of course, thank you to all the new friendships that were formed with each other on this trip. I couldn’t have asked for a better group. For now, France, au revoir!
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