It is amazing how a little sun can make a difference! We woke up to a sunny Paris on Sunday the 17th. We first headed to Mass at the Notre Dame. Although we had already had the chance to explore the building itself, having Mass there was a whole new experience! Upon sitting down, the youth choir began to sing. The voices echoed off of the stone walls and filled the massive building. Despite the fact that we could not understand the service, because of the sun shining through the large stained glass windows and the tall ceilings the presence of God was still felt. It was a reminder of just how blessed we all are to have such an adventure across Europe!
Immediately following mass, we walked to the Metro Station to head off to Versailles. Upon arriving, a short lunch was followed by a walking to The Chateau. The central palace was home to Louis XIV and his many workers. The extremely lavished rooms were brilliantly decorated with large chandeliers and of course detailed portraits of Louis himself. (Forrest was right, he did have amazing legs!) From there we wandered through the seeming never ending gardens. The perfectly kept grounds were quite elaborate and if you ask me over the top.
Back among the trees, a path lead to the play grounds of Marie-Antoinette. As a young girl raised in a lavished up brining, she longed to be a simple peasant girl. Her own personal town complete with animals was built to fulfill her desire while keeping her safe within the grounds of the palace.
Walking back from petting the donkeys and bunnies, we stopped in the park for…of course….Ultimate Frisbee. Bringing a little Whitworth flare to the gardens of Versailles we played among the trees. Although the Sun Kings beat the Legs in the actual game, the sun shining and blue skies were a welcomed break from the past weeks of snow, rain, and clouds.
Hopping back on the Metro, Forrest had us get off at a different stop than we normally get off at. As we climbed the stairs out the underground, we found ourselves in the middle of a Pr0-Life Rally. The square was full of young families, nuns, and the police in a peaceful demonstration. We followed Forrest to a small building and he bought us tickets to a show: The Paris Story. This was an hour long informative movie explaining the history of Paris. Although very educational, this was one of the cheesiest things I have sat through. We are still quoting the production now as I write this! From here we walked a short distance to “Quick.” This was the French version of McDonalds where we had a group dinner. As someone who doesn’t exactly like McDonalds in the States, I personally don’t think that Mickey-D’s has anything to worry about in France. The food was food….I suppose. Oh well, we’re making memories. Right?
After eating, walked down to the water to have the perfect ending to the perfect day. This was our evening boat cruise up and down the Seine River. The good weather created a great experience to see the city of Paris all lit up. As we backed away from the dock, the Eiffel Tower began to twinkle for its hourly light show. This was truly a moment when it was truly unreal that I was in Paris!
The next morning, we woke up to foggy skies once again but that certainly was not going to damper our Museum Day. Although we were to split up into our groups of three to go the different museums, most of us followed the same route throughout the day. My group, which consisted of myself, Aaron and Kyle, went to the Notre Dame to finally be able to climb the bell tower. (MORE STAIRS!) This historical building was truly incredible to be so intimate with. The steps themselves had been worn out in the middle where thousands and thousands have ascended the very path that we were taking. This climb took us directly next to the famous Gargoyles.
From there we traveled to the Holocaust Museum. After going through some pretty intense security, we entered to find the names of the 76,000 French citizens who were deported during World War II. It was so overwhelming to think that each of these names was not simply a name, but a human being with a story waiting to be told of the horror in which they were placed into. The black and white photos lined room after room throughout the Museum. Speaking for myself, this was truly a tug at the heart that reminded me of the grim realities of the past.
Upon leaving, we stopped for a quick lunch to let all that we had seen soak in before moving onto the next Museum. This Museum was the Pompidou Center of Modern Art. As we got closer to the building itself, the architecture alone was pretty overwhelming as huge blue pipes lined the outside. Now I admit, I am not I not the person to be blogging about the art inside of the Museum as the majority of it I just didn’t understand or appreciate as much as some of the others from our class (AKA Morgan) but I am certainly glad that I got to go into the Pompidou Center filled with some of the most influential and forward thinking art available. Someday I hope to understand how hanging a show shovel from the ceiling is art, but Morgan is working on me.
We all returned to the hotel for our lectures on Marx and Freud before having the evening off. I have dreamed of coming to Paris since I was a little girl and I cannot believe that it has become a reality. I have been so blessed to have such a dream made reality with such amazing friends to experience it with. So long Paris, I hope see you again soon!
--Annie Merriman
