Whenever I travel abroad, I make it a point to see as many museums as possible. I love to learn about art by seeing the piece in person and appreciating the talents of the artist. I went to Paris early this year, but I only stayed for a day. This semester, I planned to go back and see the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre. I have never been more determined to see any historic location more than at this time. I only had one full day and a half in Paris. I went with two of my best friends in my program and we set off for an amazing adventure.
As I was walking the rainy Paris streets, it occurred to me how lucky I was at that moment. While my friends were overwhelmed by seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time, I realized how beautiful it is to see a dream become a reality. I saw the Tower earlier this May, but seeing it dazzle in the nighttime had me smile for the rest of the night.
The next day, we planned to sightsee on our own because we all have different interest. I woke up early so I could squeeze in a full day of museum visits. My first stop was to the Louvre, a museum I’ve dreamt of seeing my entire life. It was a larger museum than I expected; I wanted to explore the museum the whole day, but I knew I was limited on time. I decided to look at the most iconic pieces first, the Sphinx, the Mona Lisa, and the Nike Statue. I felt an overwhelming sense of joy seeing artwork that I never knew I would actually see in person. I saw many more beautiful pieces as well, and I got to learn about many new artists too.
Afterwards, I travelled to see the Palace of Versailles. It was a long trip to arrive, but when I saw the golden gates, I knew it was worth the trip. I was amazed by everything in the palace. I could not believe that royalty used to see this every day. The Hall of Mirrors had me speechless, the setting sun caused the room to create a golden glow around it. At this point it was 5:00 and I realized that I had not eaten anything, I travelled back to Paris and grabbed a hamburger.
At nighttime, I took a Seine boat tour and saw many famous landmarks including Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower. After this, I met up with my friends and decided to take a scenic walk across the Seine and we admired the Eiffel Tower again. The next morning, I went to the Orsay Museum and saw many of Van Gogh’s and Monet’s paintings. I was pleasantly surprised because until that morning, I did not know this museum existed. It must be one of my favorite museums of all time, because it used to be a train station and now it has an interesting infrastructure to it.
Overall, I am thankful for the opportunity to go back to Paris again. I learned so much about Parisian history as well as art history. One day, I would love to return so I can see the Paris Catacombs and see the Notre Dame Cathedral. Until next time!
Ali's Adventures Abroad 