Tuesday, January 15, 2013

"Snow" and Typical Tourists

Just as Valerie was about to serve dinner last night, I heard a shrill of excitement from Pauline and Juliette. At first I thought they were all excited about the new Cody Simpson album, but it turns out they were reacting to a "downfall" of snow. This was pretty funny because by Michigan standards, this "downfall" was more of just a dusting.

Although the snow didn't really stick to the ground, it was quite a hazard this morning as I made my way to the train station to meet my peers before catching a train to Paris. Upon arriving in Paris we made our way to the Musee d'Orsay, where we made our way through the various levels and a variety of different masterpieces. The Musee d'Orsay is a real gem because it was originally a metro station, which was scheduled for demolition. However, a handful of investors put their funds together and converted the rundown station into an art museum. There is a marvelous collection of masterpieces from the impressionist movement, which lasted from 1860 to 1900. It was shocking to see Monet's and Van Gogh's original work a mere couple feet away from my face. In addition to the beautiful artwork, there is also a splendid view from behind the exterior clock face that overlooks the city. Following an exciting morning wandering around the Musee d'Orsay, we gathered for lunch at the restaurant within the muséum, which in itself is an art gallery.

After lunch we caught a ride on the metro down to the Seine, and the Albion/Noisy-le-Roi twinning committee treated us to a river tour of the city. This was a truly amazing vantage point because I did not have to crane my neck to see everything like I did when I was on the streets, which is a real life saver! Upon completing the river tour, we passed the memorial atop the underground road where Princess Diana passed away in a tragic car accident in 1997. Once we made it to the train station and boarded the train destined for Noisy-le-Roi, I noticed all of the power lines that criss-crossed overhead all of the trains in the station and stretched for hundreds of yards beyond the edge of the station. This image led me to ponder the idea of how difficult it must have been for the locals to get around durring the second world war when the railways were under constant attack.

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