![\"P1040890\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/toulouse\/files\/2014\/11\/P10408901-300x225.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDuring Fall break, the students and the Dickinson team packed their bags and left for Paris for four days, where luckily we were greeted by the sun and beautiful weather for our entire stay.<\/p>\n
It was the first visit to the French capital for most of our students, and they discovered Paris through theater, important historical sites, art and of course, Parisian cuisine.<\/p>\n
Wednesday evening we took a boat tour\u00a0on the Seine to see some of the most important sites in the City of Light that line the Seine River. Luckily, it wasn’t too cold !\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Schuyler : This is a photo of me in front of the base of the Eiffel Tower. I took this photo the first night of our stay in Paris, during a cruise on the Seine River. I chose this photo, because the Eiffel Tower is the symbol of Paris (and also because I lost my camera cord during the vacation and I don\u2019t have a lot of other photos). I really liked Paris and all its sites and monuments- l\u2019H\u00f4tel de Ville, le Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay, la Saint-Chapelle, le Centre Pompidou, etc. Speaking of that, I like our visit to the Centre Pompidou a lot. Unfortunately, all my photos of the Centre are on my camera, but it was an amazing experience. I\u2019ve never spent time in a big art museum without a lot of other people around. But our visit was completely private! We could listen to our guide and look at the works without bothering people or being bothered. However, it\u2019s not just the fact that we were alone in the museum. I love art museums, but generally, I prefer impressionist and expressionist art. However, the works of the Centre Pompidou are very moving. It\u2019s impossible to explain why, but I thought that the works really said something to the viewers. They make us think. I hope that I\u2019ll have the chance to go back to the Centre Pompidou, but, unfortunately, my visit won\u2019t be private.\u00a0<\/em> <\/p>\n Right after our bost\u00a0tour, we went to the Com\u00e9die Fran\u00e7aise to see one of the most well-known works of Moli\u00e8re, Le Tartuffe (The Hypocrite)\u00a0<\/em>. \u00a0That night, our students were very tired and went to bed early in order to be ready for the next day, which was even busier than our first day in Paris !<\/p>\n Thursday was dedicated to the history of Paris; in the morning we visited the Mus\u00e9e Carnavalet, a museum\u00a0that contains\u00a0countless works of art that illustrate the evolution of the\u00a0city. Our visit to the Mus\u00e9e Carnavalet focused on\u00a0the collection about Haussmanian Paris. \u00a0In the afternoon, we visited the H\u00f4tel de Ville (City Hall), which holds an important place\u00a0in Paris’ history.<\/p>\n Le groupe au Mus\u00e9e Carnavalet<\/p><\/div>\n Le Mus\u00e9e Carnavalet<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n La Salle des F\u00eates \u00e0 l’H\u00f4tel de Ville<\/p><\/div>\n We concluded our guided tours Friday morning at the Centre Pompidou, which is\u00a0home to\u00a0the National Museum of Modern Art. The Centre Pompidou is located in the heart of Paris, however in an emblematic building of the 20th century. \u00a0At the\u00a0Centre Pompidou we switched\u00a0gears and instead of discussing the history of Paris, we\u00a0learned about\u00a0modern and contemporary art.<\/p>\n Keep reading to see how our students spent their free time in Paris :<\/p>\n Jessica :\u00a0Even though Toulouse is considered a big city, it does not compare to Pairs, the biggest city in France. I live just outside a big city in California and my dad lives right in the center of London, but I was not ready for Paris. In my opinion, the heart of the city, famous for the Eiffel Tower, lives in the museums. There is not a lack of things to do and it\u2019s easy to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the city. In order to better understand and appreciate the city, it\u2019s better to not just visit the touristy sites. The Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower are impressive, but my favorite parts of the trip were the museums. Specifically, I enjoyed the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay and the Rodin Museum. The Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay, located in what used to be an old Parisian train station, holds French art from Monet, Manet, Degas and Van Gogh, to name a few, that date back to 1848-1915. There is also a clock that gives a good view of the Seine and dates back to when the train station functioned. The Rodin Museum, another incredible museum, holds a large collection of sculptures and works by Rodin. For both museums, the buildings themselves are impressive and beautiful, let alone the art work.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The gardens at the Mus\u00e9e de Rodin<\/p><\/div>\n Clock at\u00a0Mus\u00e9e d’Orsay<\/p><\/div>\n View of Paris from the clock at Mus\u00e9e d’Orsay<\/p><\/div>\n Shelby :\u00a0During our free time I went to Montmartre and the Tuileries Gardens with friends. We also visited the Museum d’Orsay and the Rodin Museum. I really liked the Rodin Museum. It was more tranquil than the other sites and houses very important and significant works of Rodin. The trip went very well and was a nice way to spend the break. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Grace :\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>During our stay in Paris, I spent most of the visit with my friend, Tatiana. The excursion was her first visit to Paris, but my fourth. Because of that, we did some touristic things (the Museum d\u2019Orsay, the Palace of Versailles, etc.), but we also did a few things that are less well-known, such as the Sainte-Chapelle church and we took a little break at Ladur\u00e9e for the famous macaroons. Personally, I like areas that are less touristic- there are a lot fewer people and it’s usually much less hectic. Even so, we visited the Arc de Triomphe, and climbed the stairs to the top, too! By chance, we stumbled upon a military ceremony for All Saints’ Day, and it was really powerful. So in the end, a visit that would normally be too touristy for me, ended up being my favorite activity!<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0 Tatiana : \u00a0This last trip was by far my favorite: Paris, the City of Light. During our stay, I decided to visit the Versailles chateau. The train took about half an hour to get there, but when I saw the castle the first time, I knew why it was so popular; it’s huge, ornate, and covered in gold. The whole walk through the chateau and around the gardens, I kept thinking how could one family possibly need this much space? I learned that each of the children traditionally received their own apartments, which consisted of 5 rooms. I was surprised that these rooms, save for the last one, was open to the members of the court. I understand them wanting to get away from the nobility who would prod into their personal lives, but then it blew my mind again when I saw the three smaller living spaces located in the gardens. It seems excessive to me, but I’ll definitely be coming back!\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The Versailles Palace<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our last evening in Paris, the Dickinson group shared a meal\u00a0at Caf\u00e9 des Mus\u00e9es, where we tasted Parisian delicacies of the season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some last reflexions from our students about our trip :<\/p>\n
\n![\"ATKINS\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/toulouse\/files\/2014\/11\/ATKINS.jpg\")
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