Study Abroad--Living, learning, and loving it!

Paris is known throughout the world as the home of the uber-museum, the Louvre. However, there is ever so much more to this city than the Eiffel Tower! Take the full art tour. Paris is literally chock-full of museums, featuring art and many other things. For instance, in the Police Museum, you can stare at a rusted blade used in the French Revolution's Terror of 1793-95.

Quick Tips:

1. Walk everywhere! It's the best way to see a city and get to know it. Plus you get to be out in the weather, be in sunshine or torrential downpour. Good tip: *always* carry an umbrella and snacks.

2. Use the stairs! You can avoid the clogged escalators and also get stronger legs faster than you can say Gustave Eiffel.

3. See museums! As many as you can handle. Don't be afraid to sit down and just gawk.

4. Eat crepes, and many of them! My favorites include sugar & cinnamon, and nutella. Yum! Just the right snack to eat on the go.

Best Way To Get Around:

The train system is amazing. The Metro is a sprawling credit to the engineers of the first half of the twentieth century. The RER covers the basic parts of Paris proper and spreads out into the suburbs. Take the RER to more remote places like Versailles and Chartres, while a short hop on the Metro takes you from the Eiffel Tower to the infamous underground shopping mall, Les Halles. Again, do the walking thing. Paris is especially easy to walk because it's so contained. Anywhere you go, there's a lot of things to see. Feast your eyes on tourists, students, families with children, artists, churches galore, and beautiful architecture!

This was one building in a dormitory complex for the University of Paris'' Cite Universitaire, in the 14th arrondissement (very south of the city but very easily accessible by public transportation). Our building was pretty run down and is now closed for remodeling. However, overall, the accomodations were good. The water was hot, the rooms were spacious, there was a computer lab and game room, and even social events. I would recommend this community if not that particular house (there are houses named after different countries; ours was the province house).

A British pub/restaurant tucked away in the Odeon district (6th, near St. Germain). Very friendly, open atmosphere. Great chips and good beer. A welcome return to English and a great time.

Great fun! Tons and tons of people having fun and dancing in the streets. The parade was very entertaining. There was one truck filled with leather-clad men dancing to pop music. The floats threw postcard souvenirs into the massive crowd. It's a big party in the streets!

Big crowd (probably tourists) to watch the annual event. Many waiters and waitresses in full garb practicing with their platters of water bottles and glasses. There was an announcer and a band to entertain. It was quite a show! Plus, in the square of Hotel de Ville, you can see across the river to Notre Dame.

Housed in Rodin's 17th hotel particulier (grand maison), you can wander the spacious rooms as well as the gardens, enjoying his sculpture. The famous Le Penseur sits outside among the roses. Also on display outdoors is his famous Gates of Hell. Inside is The Kiss, one of Rodin's other famous works. In all of his work you can marvel at the beauty and realism of his human figures. Upstairs you find a room devoted to the work of Camille Claudel. First his student, then his lover, a very talented artist in her own right, she died virtually unknown in an asylum. Her work is hauntingly touching. Rodin had a significant art collection of his own, also on display upstairs.

Behind the house, amid more peaceful greenery, is a circular pond, as well as an outdoor cafe, where you can get refreshment and shade.

The Louvre is an amazing museum that lives up to its world-famous reputation.

I have visited this establishment four times in the past eight years. Every time I even see the glass pyramid, I am struck with affection and admiration for both the vast collection and colorful history of the buildings.

First, the basics. The Louvre, along with all the national museums, is open free to the public on the first Sunday of every month. [My second visit was on one of these days, and it was a madhouse. The line went on forever and even looped back around, out into the courtyard. Inside, there were huge groups of tourists clamoring to get to the big stuff--the Mona Lisa (nearly hidden behind the throng and their camera flashes), the Venus de Milo, the Nike.] The main entrance is through the infamous glass pyramid out front. But the best way to get in is through the Rivoli door or Rivoli stop on the Metro (not the Louvre stop). That way takes you into the underground mall, complete with Virgin megastore and food court. [Incidentally, my 13-year-old cousin was there my fourth time, and she wanted to get burritos. At the Spanish place. She didn't understand how Mexico and Spain have different cuisines.] Visit the several shops/bookstores to find posters, 8x12prints, postcards, mousemat, calendars, puzzles, notebooks, bookmarks and more, featuring the more famous images in painting and sculpture. You will be able to find images that aren't in the Louvre but are famous; there are reproductions from the National Gallery in London, the van Gogh museum, the Rodin museum, the Musee d'Orsay, and more. The best time to go is in the afternoon or evening, when the throngs have receded. One night a week it is open late.

The collection itself spans centuries and continents with apparent ease. Pillaged, seized, and bought, the pieces tell a complicated story of a growing global commerce.

Some of my favorites include Nike, Winged Victory (I bow a tribute to her every time I'm there), the Botticelli frescoes (even though the figures all look the same), the collection of ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Etruscan work (there is a display of the temple of Zeus in Olympia, in Greece, that I had been in a few weeks prior to my most recent visit), and the Jacques-Louis David paintings (notably the Coronation of Napoleon). The Napoleon Appartements are a startling example of the splendor royalty lived in. The dining room seats over forty, and it has hidden doors through which the servants could disappear. The rooms are filled with red velvet and gilt chandeliers, furniture, and other decorations.

In conclusion, this museum is truly astounding. I urge you to visit it many times, to learn about the history of the chateau itself, to learn about the works held within its walls, to find new things each time, and to not be discouraged by the tourist-infected hallways and rooms. Ignore them and gawk at the art.

France is one of the top three movie producing nations in the world. As its capital, Paris is also home to a huge assortment of movie theatres and cinemas, as well as the originator of several unique styles. Notable for its auteurs of the 1950s, it is still possible to see the city through the eyes of Francois Truffaut.

In the weekly publication Pariscope, you can find listings of showings by title, by genre, and by arrondissement (neighborhood).

There are constant festivals and specials going on. For most of the summer, anyone under 25 could get a pass to see any movie for only 25F (less than six bucks!). I caught part of the Monty Python fest in the Latin quarter. Earlier that month, there was an Alfred Hitchcock festival. Paris is just enough behind the US that you can see the new release you missed back home, on the big screen. I had fun translating French titles of American blockbusters, like Ten Things I Hate About You and Me, Myself and Irene.

The Trocadero and the Centre Pompidou both have special theatres that show old classic films, including many famous French flicks.

Cluny is the Museum of the Middle Ages. It features many works of the Madonna and Child, as well as some original stained glasswork.

This museum is famous for the Unicorn Tapestries. There are six in all, each featuring a specific theme, though the sixth is undetermined.

Part of the museum includes the remains of a Roman bath, the frigidarium (cold water; we get the word refrigerator from this), dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries AD.

A must-see for history buffs and lovers of the Middle Ages.

Built in 1889 to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution, this iron giant has endured plans of scrappage and silly additions to become the very symbol of the city of light.

Extending 300 meters into the sky, the Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris proper, and is visible from most anywhere in the city. It affords an amazing view of the cityscape from the top.

Despite the inherent touristy feel, climbing the Tower is a must. I recommend taking the stairs up the first two levels; it is much cheaper (18F compared to the 60F elevator ride), as well as much quicker. The lines for the elevator extend all over the open space between the legs of the Tower. Sadly, the stairs to the top have been closed for some time, and one must wait in the long line at the second level to access the third and uppermost level. Note: even if you take the elevator from the ground, you must exit at the second level and wait for the elevator all the way up.

At the top, which is rather small, you will find a circular display with the approximate distances and direction to the world's big cities. I found Seattle on the map, about 6,600 miles away, and blew my family and friends a kiss. Another note: since it is so high, it is windy up there! Be prepared with a light jacket.

There are other displays to help you identify the sights you see from up above. Many people don't know what the nearby gold dome is--that is the final resting place of Napoleon, Les Invalides. You can see parks and other famous Parisian landmarks, like Notre Dame and Sacre-Coeur. The view makes it easier to understand and appreciate the layout of this ancient city.

Don't forget that the Tower lights up at night to make a beautiful addition to the night skyline. Every hour on the hour after dusk, the Tower winks and twinkles in a ten-minute light show.

For a lovely view of the Tower without being directly beneath it, go across the river to the platform at the Trocadero. This is an ideal spot for photographs with the Tower.

This is the mother of all modern art museums! All kinds of crazy stuff here. If you like the extremely abstract stuff, there's plenty. But there's a ton of Impressionist and other paintings. Even if you're not a huge fan of modern art, you'll still enjoy an afternoon wandering through the Pompidou.

6/29/00: Yesterday we had our field trip to Chartres, a small town southwest of Paris, home to the Cathedrale Notre Dame de Chartres (yes, there is more than one Notre Dame--it just means Our Lady). It dates from the 12th century, and was the first completed Gothic structure. However, the two towers were finished at different times in the Gothic period, so one is almost Romanesque and rather plain, while the other is very flamboyant (meaning with flame). This church is really big! To get pictures of the whole thing, we had go backtrack across the entire plaza. At the entrance, I craned my neck up and got dizzy. It completely dominates the view of the town; coming in on the RER, that's the first thing you see--these giant towers and then some small buildings around it that signify a town. Chartres has been a site of pilgrimage for hundreds of years--on display is the Virgin's shroud that she wore while giving birth to Jesus. The layout of the interior features a processional walkway that goes around, and is separate from, the main worshipping part of the church, to accommodate the legions of pilgrims. The floors of the processional roundabout are sloped, to be more easily rinsed of the dirt and filth from the pilgrims. The stained glass is original. It is amazing. I always wonder how people could see that far up, and with such detail to the design.

The town is quiet and peaceful. We didn't realize how hectic and loud it was in the city until we got to walk around in Chartres. It was beautiful and charming.