-Jessamyn Biette<\/p>\n
![\"attachment\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/toulouse\/files\/2015\/11\/attachment.jpg\")
<\/a>A metro station in Paris<\/p><\/div>\n
During my time in Paris, I walked more than ten kilometers each day in attempt to see the city in five days. This first experience on the Parisian metro surprised me a little because the metro in Paris is quite different than the metro in Toulouse. For example, in Paris the trains have a conductor, but in Toulouse, the trains are automatic. Additionally, there are more than fifteen metro lines, but in Toulouse, there are only two lines. Finally, the biggest difference was the amount of people on the metro. The Parisian metro was a lot more crowed than the Toulouse metro but to compensate for this big difference between the two metros, the physical trains are a lot larger in Paris. Even though there were a lot of differences between the two metro systems, I took the metro a lot in Paris and I got used to it pretty easily. By the end of my vacation in Paris, I had traveled on more than eight lines in order to get to various destinations. I don\u2019t think I could have seen all that I saw in Paris if it wasn\u2019t for the metro.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Paris Transportation System (RATP)<\/p><\/div>\n
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<\/a>Toulouse Metro System<\/p><\/div>\n
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Mus\u00e9e du Quai Branly<\/strong><\/p>\n -Lisa Johnsen<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The museum Quai Branly is a museum of indigenous art from the civilizations of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. It is in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, near the Eiffel Tower. The building is red and black, surrounded by gardens. It was opened in 2006, one of the newest of the large museums in Paris.<\/p>\n We saw a multitude of interesting objects. Clothes, masks, combs, musical instruments, jewelry, and more. Our guide told us about the difference between objects and works of art. Most of the things in the museum are called objects because they originally had an everyday purpose, or were used in ceremonies. They were not originally intended as works of art. We did see contemporary art works by Aboriginal artists, and were able to compare them to older objects in the museum to see the relationship between them. It was interesting that many of the objects in the museum were from the 19th or 20th century, and were not as old as I had expected. The museum shows that the indigenous cultures of the world have not disappeared, and still exist today.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Le Centre Pompidou<\/strong><\/p>\n -Jenny Morris<\/p>\n Dickinson students at the Centre Pompidou<\/p><\/div>\n While in Paris, we visited several different museums and cultural monuments around the city. My personal favorite was the Pompidou Centre, the largest modern art museum in Europe. The museum in located in the Beaubourg area and features a cool inverted structure where the beams of the building are visible from the outside. During our visit, the Dickinson students took a guided tour with a woman who gave us further insight into some of the pieces and answered our questions. We saw Picasso, Duchamp, Rothko, Dal\u00ed, and other well-known artists. One piece I found interesting was a painting that was entirely blue; it\u2019s creator, Yves Klein, worked to develop his own unique color, which he patented as International Klein Blue. Students had mixed opinions of the merit of the painting, which raises the question of what it means to be art.<\/p>\n Students before a Sonia Delaunay painting at the Centre Pompidou<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n A Night at the Com\u00e9die Fran\u00e7aise : <\/strong>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea -Mariette Aborn et Anna Robinette The Com\u00e9dieFran\u00e7aise is made up of several theaters. The principal and oldest theater still in use is the Salle Richelieu, built in 1799 and located in the first arrondissement. During our trip to Paris we had the chance to see 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea <\/em>at a different theatre, the Theater of Vieux-Colombiers, a more intimate theater that produces more modern productions than the Salle Richelieu.<\/p>\n 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea<\/em>, perhaps the most famous novel by Jules Verne, was well adapted into a play to entertain us Thursday evening. Published in 1870, 20,000Leagues Under the Sea <\/em>tells the adventure of three protagonists who are captured on board a submarine navigated by Captain Nemo. \u00a0Jules Verne, best known for his science fiction novels, was very innovative and often futuristic in his writing;\u00a0the Com\u00e9dieFran\u00e7aise honored this attribute by showcasing several technologies like the light bulb, the intercom, and high-speed navigation, which were novel inventions in 1870.<\/p>\n Although we did not fully understand many of the jokes, we were tremendously impressed by the staging. Most of the show took place in shadowy waters in order to immerse the audience into the fascinating sub-marine life of Nautilus and Captain Nemo. \u00a0There was an enormous window situated at the center of the stage through which the audience watched fish, played by puppeteers, swim by. \u00a0There were all sorts of fish– schools of minnows, suckerfish, jellyfish, angelfish, sharks, and more– and each swam in its own unique way according to its type. \u00a0The actors also mastered underwater mannerisms. \u00a0All dressed in diving suits, the characters walked across the bottom of the ocean giving the impression of being completely submerged in water. \u00a0Even when the diver\u2019s flashlight fell from his hand, it fell slowly and bounced as if it was moving with the waves. \u00a0At the end of the show, the audience applauded continually for about five minutes. \u00a0It was interesting to notice that the French remained seated while applauding the cast, whereas an American audience usually stands up. \u00a0In addition, some audience members even cheered \u201cBravo.\u201d \u00a0This surprised many of the American students. \u00a0All in all, our night at the theater was fantastic– a foreign voyage to the bottom of the ocean, in the middle of our very own voyage in France.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stage setting of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Vieux Colombier<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Neuilly-sur-sc\u00e8ne and Magis<\/strong><\/p>\n -Olivia Laing Neuilly-sur-Seine is a French commune situated northwest of Paris. It is one of the most \u201cbourgeois\u201d neighborhoods near Paris. The town is located near one of the Seine\u2019s natural fords, and thus became a natural passage between Paris and Normandy during the Middle Ages. In 1606, Henri IV and Marie de M\u00e9dicis almost drowned after a boat accident, and the king decided to construct a bridge which had an important influence on the commune\u2019s development. Neuilly also achieved economic success at the end of the 19th<\/sup> century thanks to the perfume industry and was home to several laboratories, workshops and factories.<\/p>\n A beautiful sunset over the Seine in Neuilly<\/p><\/div>\n Our time in Neuilly was spent addressing the question, how can we be engaged<\/em>?* with Eric Barrier and Solenne de Kersabiec, who work at Magis, \u201can professional training institute that helps individuals reinforce their life skills (savoirs-\u00eatre) through a philosophical approach.\u201d In my group lead by Eric, we discussed the definitions of \u201cto engage,\u201d \u201can engagement\/ commitment,\u201d \u201chappiness\u201d and \u201cjoy,\u201d among others and also engagement as a personal act and with others. These philosophical conversations gave us the chance to pause and reflect as we approach the midpoint of the semester.<\/p>\n *(Note: the verb \u201cs\u2019engager\u201d has several English translations, so here I\u2019ve selected the one that best describes the subject, although it doesn\u2019t fully capture the concept)<\/p>\n The Magis sessions were held on a boat on the Seine – a very enjoyable setting for philosophical discussions<\/p><\/div>\n La D\u00e9fense<\/strong><\/p>\n -Liam Fuller<\/p>\n \u00a0La D\u00e9fense Neighborhood<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s very interesting, the juxtaposition between the two neighborhoods, because Neuilly is a neighborhood of old money, with the classic architecture of Paris. On the other hand, la D\u00e9fense represents new money, with its skyscrapers. It was very scenic because Neuilly and la D\u00e9fense are situated close to the Seine. So, we could walk on the I really like the speed of the area around la D\u00e9fense. I\u2019m from New Jersey and I know New York very well. From my point of view, Toulouse is a pretty city and a good choice for my first city to really know, because of its size and complexity. But, it\u2019s a little slow and small for me. I missed the speed and diversity of New York a little. So, I liked to have the opportunity to be the neighborhood of la D\u00e9fense because its speed and spirit reminded me of New York. La D\u00e9fense is an energetic and dynamic neighborhood and I recommend it to anyone who has the chance to go to Paris.<\/p>\n La D\u00e9fense by night<\/p><\/div>\n View of the Seine at La D\u00e9fense<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n COP 21<\/strong><\/p>\n -Sophia Brocenos<\/p>\n The Climate Conference in Paris (COP 21) will begin November 30th and will continue until December 11th, 2015. The main goal of this conference is to come to an international agreement on climate, with the objective of limiting global warming to 2\u00b0 C. Thousands of people are going to attend the conference itself, but visitors for the protests will also be numerous. These protests are going to attract attention to climate change, with the hope of convincing country leaders to make stricter laws. In the hallways of the metro, one can find digital posters with \u201cobjectif2d\u00e9gres\u201d (objective 2 degrees). Around the city, there are posters with citations, which give importance to the subject. The protests and large masses of people will certainly affect the city, however, this is an important event that will help the future of our climate and our planet.<\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>
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\nbanks of the Seine as we saw la D\u00e9fense. This was also a moment of juxtaposition, with nature,
\nit\u2019s beauty and power, the Seine, and technology, its magnificence and power, la D\u00e9fense. On the
\nbank of the Seine we could see la Grande Arche de la D\u00e9fense, which was majestic. From certain
\npoints, you can see the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es, which are in a line with la
\nGrande Arche de la D\u00e9fense. This shows another juxtaposition, with the classic and the past, the Arc de Triomphe, and the contemporary and the future, la Grande Arche de la D\u00e9fense.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>