In Paris! Finally! What day is today. Wednesday? Yes it is Wednesday and I got here on Sunday morning. The days have been blurring together- we haven’t really gotten into routine mode here yet.
Our group is split between two nice, small hotels in the 5th arrondissement. To help you out, the Eiffel Tower is in the 7th, by the water… Notre Dame is on an island on the river between the 4th and 5th… the Louvre is in the 1st.
While we’re in Paris (and Morocco) our group is working with a study abroad provider called ISA. I used ISA when I studied in the Dominican Republic and had a great experience. The students have classes in the ISA Paris center, which is also in the 5th arrondissement right by Notre Dame.
My days so far have been spent exploring the 5th. I’m 95% sure I’ve been here before, but I can’t be sure. I get lost every time I go for a run in Paris, so it is quite likely that I have gotten lost here before.
We’re near the Sorbonne, so it’s a pretty student-y area. We’re also right near Rue Mouffetard, which is one of the oldest streets in Paris. Markets, restaurants with food from all over, cobbled windy streets, etc.
Tonight we went to the Louvre. Yes, I’ve been there before, but this was only the 2nd time I’ve had a guided tour. And the place is so big, you’re not going to see the same stuff every time. And I know/retain nothing about art, so even if I learned it before, it feels like I’m learning it for the first time.
Sorry
One of the more interesting paintings that I saw was La Liberté guidant le peuple (“Liberty Leading the People”… that’s a pretty easy one to translate on your own though) by Eugène Delacroix. It’s an image of a woman personifying Liberty holding the flag of the French Revolution (which is still today’s flag). The woman is Marianne, a symbol of France and the French Republic. I took a class on Nationalism last fall, and my final paper was on nationalistic symbols of France. Marianne pops up all over French artwork, architecture, euro coins, and stamps.
Go art
The evening ended with some galettes near our hotel. Galettes are like savory crêpes… both of which originated in Bretagne/Brittany, in the western part of France. This is where I’ve spent most of my time in France- many people I’ve met there are proud of such a French staple originating in their region. Anyway, it made me nostalgic and miss my time in Rennes. Of course, Paris itself has so much to offer that I’m sure I’ll discover/rediscover in these next few weeks.
Tomorrow is my day off and I already have chosen where I am going to go set up camp and do work. I’m used to being abroad and doing schoolwork (aka study abroad), I’m used to being abroad and working (as a Program Assistant) but this is the first time I’m doing both in the same semester. Must. Be. Productive. In. Paris.
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