June 1st, 2012
I went to bed upset last night due to my lack of sight-seeing (couldn't find a group), and I got up early and resolved to go out by myself and see all the things I hadn't seen yet. Luckily for me, I met up with Ethan during breakfast and he convinced me to go with a group to see the Moulin Rouge (which for some reason hadn't even come up in my list of things to see!), as well as the Louvre (which was DEFINITELY on my list). They had already been to the Eiffel tower, so that was a bit of a bummer, but at least I wouldn't be breaking the rules in going out by myself.
After breakfast, I set off for the Metro with Sara, Kayley O., Ethan, and Taylor S. Since it was still very early on a weekday the Metro was PACKED, and I actually got on a train that the rest of the group wasn't able to squeeze onto. They were able to yell through the door to let me know which stop to get off and wait, which was lucky for me since I wasn't navigating and didn't know what stop/line the Moulin Rouge was on. Eventually we made it there, and managed to get some great silly pictures in front!
It's much smaller than I expected!
Love the paintings!
Kayley Monroe?
Let it all hang out, Ethan!
Sad Asian face
I love the woman walking behind me and cracking up
Work it, Taylor!
We then made our way to the Louvre, which would take you months if not years to see everything there is to see. Noha did give a GREAT suggestion; to go in through the mall entrance and buy tickets at the tobacco shop, therefore avoiding long lines at the main entrance. We also inadvertently followed my travel guide book's advice about going in the morning, because most people don't come until midday or later. Of course we could only stay about an hour and a half, but I did get certain priority pieces on my list checked off.
The beautiful glass pyramid
I've been dying to behold this: Nike of Samothrace, or Winged Victory. I almost cried.
My clearest zoom of Mona Lisa. She's protected by guards, barriers, and glass after all she's gone through (acid, knife wounds, theft).
She so much smaller than you would ever realize. Much smaller than the majority of paintings I've seen.
I took this one for mom. It's a painting about King Solomon's wisdom in knowing who was the rightful mother of a child, but I can't find the title or painter online. It's not the most popular, but I love it.
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss- Antonio Canova
Venus de Milo- possibly by Alexandros of Antioch
I have simply too many photos from inside the Louvre to post them all, but those were some of my favorites. After we had our fill of running around, Sara and Kayley opted to go find the Lover's Bridge, while Taylor, Ethan, and myself decided to stroll through the 'jardin des tuileries', which is a garden full of statues and fountains outside of the Louvre.
We left through the main entrance so we could still get pictures in front of the glass pyramid :)
Wish it weren't so cloudy!
My 'sign' (Sagittarius, the archer)
It was so relaxing to sit in front of the fountain!
I like the pigeon just chillin on the statue's head
Taylor, Ethan, and I then went down the Place de la Concorde towards the Luxor Obelisk, authentic from Egypt, and I got some great pictures there, as well :)
Eiffel tower with the obelisk
I love hieroglyphics, and it was so cool to be near some written during the reign of Ramses II.
We got some more silly photos by the fountains on either side of the obelisk.!
Mermen
Mermaid
Before heading back, we decided to just browse through the expensive shopping district, including the fancy dessert stores, such as Fauchon and Fossier.
Macaroons at Fauchon
We got some crepes on the way back to the hotel, because we have just one more concert to sing!
Mmm! Egg and cheese!
We had our final concert in the Église Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and unfortunately I was unable to get any good photos inside because of the lighting and request of no flash photography. There was apparently an 'oops,' though, because we understood that we were singing at 3:30, but the church had advertised our concert to be at 4:30, so we compromised and sang at 4 pm that way we could still make our reservations for our farewell dinner party at Cafe Barjot. I will borrow one of David Webb's concert photos (see link further below).
I'm the girl on the top step closest to the men.
Again, top step on the left side!
I didn't really enjoy the dinner. :/ The red wine sauce was very strong and the beef was too chewy for my taste, I thought we were getting ice cream for dessert, but oddly enough, it was flan.
I'm going to borrow some pictures from Dr. Webb's son, who took thousands of pictures during the trip. You can look through David Webb's albums on Picasa: https://picasaweb.google.com/102722375026351141139.
I received a gift for being a grad asst. And I am the queen of weird faces.
Dr. Webb received a very French beret to match the bass's, and the tomahawk has returned!!
I love this photo so much!
Soprano group picture
That was then photo-bombed by the basses coming to tickle attack!
Even though I could have tried to run around another few hours, I opted to be responsible and go back to the hotel and begin packing because we needed to be on the bus no later than 7 am (which means I needed to have eaten breakfast by 6:30) to get to the airport in plenty of time to get through customs and whatnot. I spent the evening showering and repacking my suitcase so that I didn't lose any breakables on the way back home. I am not ready to leave Paris, but at the same time, I'm very ready to be home again. On a normal sleep schedule. :)
Stay tuned, I just have one more day to write!
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