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Update So Far: Louvre, Montmartre, Orsay, Oh My! (and much more!)

2/18/2016

31 Comments

 
Picture
Bonjour!

We have been so busy since we've been here (plus wifi is shaky), so this is our first chance to update.  We have been exploring all over the city, mastering the Metro, eating delicious food, and taking in all the sights and beauty Paris has to offer.

Sunday, 2/14/16 (Valentine's Day!)
Once we arrived, we dropped our bags at the MIJE (our hostel) and walked around Le Marais, our neighborhood.  We had some delicious falafel for lunch (more about food from Simone and Bailey to come) and explored the area a bit.  Then we relaxed and had dinner at the MIJE.  After dinner, we walked past Notre Dame to Vedettes du Pont Neuf and took a boat tour along the Seine.  It was *beautiful* seeing the city lit up at night, particularly the Eiffel Tower.  It was interesting to preview a lot of the places we'd be visiting later in the week.  This was a highlight of the trip so far for many, even though it was quite chilly.  

Monday, 2/15/16
Monday was an early wake up call to go to the Musee du Louvre.  Here, we saw many famous pieces including the pyramid outside, Mona Lisa, Venus, Winged Victory, etc., among many lesser known, but equally beautiful works of art.  After the Louvre, we visited some of the Rue de Rivoli souvenir shops before walking to the Opera House and going inside La Madeleine (beautiful church).  After that, we took our first ride on the Metro!  We went to the neighborhood Montmartre and walked up what felt like thousands of stairs.  It was SO worth it!  The views from the top of the hill overlooking the city were breathtaking!  We spent 2 hours exploring Montmartre, shopping, having lunch, etc.  After we all reconvened, we went in to Sacre-Coeur, which legitimately has one of the most beautiful views imaginable.  We took group selfies on the steps in front of Sacre-Coeur, and the students rode the carousel at the base of the hill.  After our adventure, we took the Metro (since the students are pros) back to the MIJE to relax before dinner there.  After dinner, we went to the Champs-Elysees to see the Arc du Triomphe, explore, and shop.  

Tuesday, 2/16/16
Tuesday we got to sleep in a little more than Monday, which was both nice and needed.  We had breakfast at the MIJE and headed out to the Eiffel Tower.  The group opted to walk (our FitBits were going crazy!) the nearly 700 steps up to the second floor of the tower for some pictures and views. Then, we hopped on the elevator to the tippy top of the tower ( over 1,000 feet). The 360-degree views were stunning.  However, it was very windy and chilly, so once we got to the bottom, we took a few minutes to have a warm drink and a snack before moving on.  We grabbed crepes on the go for lunch!  Then, the group split into two, and half of us went to Les Catacombes and the other half went to Rodin.  The Catacombs were where 6 million people were buried, and it was spectacular to see all of the skulls/bones -- it wasn't as creepy as some were expecting, it was oddly intriguing how neatly they organized all of the bones so long ago.  At the Rodin museum, we saw lots of sculpture, including "The Thinker" and also beautiful gardens.  After our afternoon visits, we returned to the hostel where some opted to rest, and others continued to explore Le Marais before dinner at the MIJE.  After dinner, we left to go ice skating at L'Hotel de Ville.  However, we were disappointed when we got there to find that the skating rink was not open this year.  The students were patient and helpful as we tried to brainstorm what to do as an alternative. We decided to go back to the neighborhood by Notre Dame and explore shops, cafes, and views there.  

Wednesday, 2/17/16
Today, we started with breakfast at the MIJE, before heading out to the Musee d'Orsay (more on Orsay from Michee in a moment).  After the Orsay, we took the RER (similar to Boston's commuter rail, but much nicer) to see the inside of Notre Dame.  The church was absolutely beautiful!  Then we walked back to the MIJE for lunch.  For our afternoon acitivity, the group split into two again: half went to the Picasso Museum (more from Sofi M on that in a moment) and the other half went to the Tuileries gardens, followed by the Photographie and Orangerie museums.  We all returned to the MIJE to rest for a bit before taking the Metro to the Latin Quarter to explore and shop some more.  It was so cool to explore so many different parts of the city in such a short amount of time!  We ended our night by going out to dinner at La Citrouille in the Latin Quarter.  We had a menu fixe to choose from -- many of us even tried escargots!  The food was delicious, and we had great company and conversation!  

What a wonderful group of students we have!  We are all exhausted, but have been having the trip of a lifetime so far!  We are about halfway through our stay in Paris -- tomorrow we had to Versailles, and we leave Friday for Normandy.  Below, as promised, are the detailed posts by some of our students -- and more to come as the trip continues!  Enjoy!

Au revoir,
Hayley


Food  - Written by Bailey, picture collage by Simone
Breakfast has been very Francais.  Every morning, we'll go down as a group to the MIJE's dining area to get a baguette and orange juice to eat.  For lunch, we've been trying all kinds of French street foods like crepes, falafels, and croque-monsieurs. For dinner, we head back to the MIJE and get the daily meat with a vegetable.  After all our activities (because we get to do so many!), we head back up to our rooms to head to bed with a beautiful view of Paris. :)







Orsay - Written by Michee 
​Today, 2/17, we visited la Musee d'Orsay.  A beautiful collection of masterpieces, from big names in the art world, to some names that one would not recognize at first glance.  The big winner was Monet, with his distinct usage of color and texture, he thrives in the impressionist exhibit.  His paintings go from dark and somber colors, to light, faded colors to represent a sunny day.  The museum had an abundant amount of variety.  Even the architecture was unique in its own way.  Having been an old train station, it possessed a lot of industrial qualities that in many instances contrasted the art, but that in itself is art.  We went from rooms with metal, rusty pillars to a beautiful room decorated in gold, straight out of the ballroom scene in Cinderella.  A few of us embodied the role and became captivated in the gold, crystal, and the luxurious atmosphere.  Far from the room was another gem.  Van Gogh's self portrait glistened a soft sapphire glow, seemingly lending the artist the ability to float.  From paintings to sculptures, to glass work, even furniture, this museum offered a vast cultural experience.



Picasso Museum - Written by Sofi M
Today, 2/17, we went to the Picasso Museum which was not only impressively gorgeous, but the setup of the museum was genius.  We started in the basement of the house, which began with his earlier works and continued in chronological order with each floor of the house.  I personally love Picasso and was floored by the collection the museum had.  My personal favorites were the sculptures of the goats and getting to learn about his family life and the reasoning behind his genius works!!!! I would totally recommend this to everyone!!!!!



31 Comments
Sherry Rianna's Mom
2/18/2016 10:27:54 am

So wonderful to see a full report on all the activities so far when I opened the blog this morning. The days seem absolutely packed with so many fabulous locations, museums and sights included. And the student blogs are a great idea. Look forward to more getting even more of the flavor of things.

Reply
Anna
2/26/2016 10:33:28 am

You guys sound like you are having a lot of fun! I am definitely jealous of all the food you get to eat and all the sights, especially Sacre Coeur! Have fun!

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Morgan
2/26/2016 10:37:19 am

Ughhh, I wish I was there and eating all of the food that you guys are, it all looks so good. Hope you have a good rest of your trip!

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Joia
2/26/2016 12:08:14 pm

The food looks so good!! Looks like you guys are having a very fun time, and I can't wait to hear about it when u guys get back! shoutout to sof and elena:))

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Ivy
2/26/2016 12:19:00 pm

The food looks + sounds soooo delicious!! I've been to Paris before, however I have never been to the museum. I look forward to applying for the trip in 2 years!

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Yana
2/26/2016 01:47:16 pm

The food looks soooo good! I'm so jealous :) Next year I wish to go to Paris on the exchange trip.

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Beatriz
2/26/2016 01:58:21 pm

The museums sound amazing! I can't wait to go next year, if possible. I've never been there and I would love to go someday.

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Talia
2/26/2016 01:59:41 pm

The museums seem so cool. I hope I can go on the trip! Looks fun.

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Yuen Ting
2/26/2016 05:00:40 pm

Wow! Everything looks like so much fun from the food to the museums! I really want to visit France some day, and would really like to participate in this exchange my junior year.

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Diego
2/27/2016 12:09:28 pm

I also had the incredible pleasure of going to Paris last summer and I admit many of my emotions were similar to yours. It's a beautiful city with life and culture sprouting from every corner, and every street filled with unforgettable memories. I really think that just like me, you all seem like you'd be just delighted to go back

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Ethan
2/27/2016 02:14:28 pm

This looks so fun! I can't wait to go on the next trip!

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Yasmeen
2/27/2016 09:00:14 pm

Everything looks like it was a lot of fun, and the food sounds delicious. I wish I could go on this trip too !!

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Melissa
2/28/2016 01:52:04 pm

The food looks delicious! You guys seem like you're having a great time, very jealous :)

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Emma Caracciolo-King
2/28/2016 05:13:15 pm

This trip looks amazing- both in learning many new things, being immersed in the language and having a lot of fun. I really hope I'll be able to go too next year!

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Chloe
2/28/2016 05:21:12 pm

Food looks so good, and the trip looks really cool!!

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Edward
2/28/2016 05:34:49 pm

The descriptions of the art museums are awesome, sounds like a really great place for someone who loves art! (maybe obviously given the Louvre and all the other museums)

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Sarah
2/28/2016 05:39:34 pm

The trip sounds so cool and fun! Hearing all about Parisian culture makes me miss Paris a lot.. glad it looks like such a cool trip!

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GABE
2/28/2016 06:41:03 pm

Food look yummy. Have fun in Paris!

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Natalija
2/28/2016 07:13:33 pm

The museums sound so cool! I didnt know that Orsay used to be a train station!

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maia
2/28/2016 08:07:46 pm

@Michée I love your detail in describing the Musee d'Orsay. As I read, your beautiful descriptions made me feel as if I was almost there beside you, taking it all in by your side. Thank you for your beautiful words. Pure poetry.

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Natasha
2/28/2016 08:33:18 pm

Looks like a ton of fun! I love Paris, it's such a beautiful city! So much art and culture!

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Mayra
2/28/2016 09:10:02 pm

The food looks so good!!! Can't wait to hear more from you guys when you come back. Enjoy!!

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Isabella
2/28/2016 09:11:43 pm

I absolutely love your adventures, they seem so fun!! I hope I can visit France someday!!

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Charlotte
2/28/2016 11:50:25 pm

I think everyone did a really great job of including us in your journey around France! You all seem to be having a blast. I can't wait to hear more!

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Nisha
2/29/2016 07:43:33 am

The trip to the Catacombs sounds interesting I have always wanted to see what it was like. The food also looks amazing. Looking forwards to hear more about the trip!

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Conor
3/1/2016 08:11:24 am

I've never been to the catacombs before and they sound really cool! Definitely going there next time I'm in paris.

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Jesse
3/1/2016 11:20:45 am

I love your descriptions Michee, your blog post should be made into an indie movie. See you soon, too!!

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Mari
3/1/2016 01:25:42 pm

Sounds amazing wish we were doing stuff like this back in America!!

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Maddie
3/3/2016 09:02:35 pm

The blog was such a good idea, I am learning so much about your tremendous trip! So jealous of all the amazing food you're eating and the gorgeous views in France!! Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!

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Derek
3/16/2016 09:05:11 pm

Wow I love the catacombs I am glad others have experienced that.

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codybecth link
6/1/2022 11:23:48 am

Great Article! Thank you for sharing this is a very informative post, and looking forward to the latest one

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