It was a bustling morning for Purdue today, with the Bastille market and a private tour of the Louvre on the schedule, we promptly started our journey at 9:45 am. While still feeling the effects of tiredness and exhaustion from the great day at Amsterdam yesterday, it was nice to stroll through the Louvre on this beautiful, very warm Paris day. The Louvre was amazing— I was not aware of how vastly large the museum was. It was stunning.
My favorite part of the Louvre is the high ceilings. I looked up at the ceilings taking in all the beautiful history, color, and 3-D art that hung down from them. Amazing, breathtaking… the pictures do no justice for the beauty in which this great museum held. No wonder it was crowded… and let me tell you, there is no air conditioning! On this rather warm day the Louvre was uncomfortable— BUT worth the while. I could have walked around staring at the gorgeous paintings, sculptures, and ceilings all day. My favorite art pieces are sculptures; I am quite fond of the Greek sculptures because I feel that the sculptures speak more than a single caption of life— they speak stories and act as if the movements of life are being caught, not just the talent of the artist.
Purdue had a private tour with a sassy, wonderful tour guide that I absolutely loved listening to. Giving explanations to some of the more famous pieces of art in the Louvre made the experience even more captivating and special. The explanations of the pieces were almost scientific sounding. It was a much different lesson to learn about than with Dr. Katz. All in all though, they are both fantastic, interesting guides; we are very lucky to of had the chance of a lifetime to learn from two exceptional experts in their fields.
Getting back from the Louvre, the Bastille market is just down the way from the hotel, of course visiting that is always a highlight of a Paris visit. The smell of fresh baguettes, fish, and dried sausages filled the air while walking through the outside market. It gets very crowded, very quickly, but very exciting to see the various options of fresh fruits and meat available. Since a couple of us in the group have gotten a taste for the simple meal of baguette, dried meats, butter, and cheese, we headed to Bastille market to better stock for the future feastings of Paris back at the hotel. Since I had already bought a large selection of cheese in Amsterdam the day before, it was necessary to find bread, butter, and meat. While we were not as lucky in gaining those things at the market, we headed to the supermarket to find the various things for our ending days here. We definitely walked away with some delicious items to share with one another, and if lucky with leftovers, with the people back home.
It’s so beautiful in Paris— I have to keep reminding myself that we only have a couple more days in this wonderful place. Even while I do laundry, I am looking out the windows of the hotel, trying to take in everything humanly possible to remember later when I am sitting in a desk. It’s amazing the places one will go and see in a lifetime— and maybe that’s the real thing I’ve learned this trip. The world is so big and bright—I have learned so much on this trip; about art, activism, history, and I can’t wait to learn more. I started out this study abroad saying that I wanted to learn more about activism and better Purdue… I can now say it’s no longer about that. I want to better Purdue and the issues that need to be assessed at there, but it’s so much more than just there. There’s so much more out there. And I think that’s the lesson learned; Purdue is only one step, what’s after that? The world.
Pictures from Lowell Kane