Over the past few days, I’ve walked through time. I traveled to ancient Egypt, Enlightenment Europe, and the Middle East in the early C.E. I’ve strolled through the French countryside, Monet’s garden, and Van Gogh’s mind. How? Museums!
We kicked off Wednesday morning with a tour of a stunning mosque and the
Arab World Institute. I had never been inside a mosque before, but this one in particular is known for its stunning architecture – inside, it’s all white marble and tile floors, with mosaics and engraved stone. It had an open roof to let in the natural light, and a small courtyard garden. It was like a palace! The institute was an equally new experience for me, as aside from my class last term about feminism in the Middle East in the 20th century, I had little knowledge of Middle Eastern history.
Wednesday afternoon was spent at the Louvre. To be honest, I needed about two more full days
there to really see all that I wanted to see, but it was still outstanding! I spent most of my time there in the Egyptian exhibit, so I guess that just means I’ll have to come back to see everything else!
Thursday morning, we went to Musee de l’Orangerie, and I was awestruck. That’s where all of Monet’s Water Lilies are, and wow. He painted them with the museum in mind so that people could have a calming space to just relax and forget about the turmoil in the world. He definitely succeeded; the rooms exudes a quiet comfort that permeates the minds of all who enter it.
Later that day, we went to the Musee d’Orsay, which was my favorite of the three. It was almost entirely Impressionist works, and the building itself was an old converted train station. Everything downstairs was marble and stone, with a huge open atrium enclosed by glass. It even had a clock face upstairs, through which we could peer out over the city. Overall, it looked like a scene from The Invention of Hugo
Cabret, but with art! There were dozens of Van Goghs and Monets (my favorites), as well as Gaugin, Cezanne, and Renoir. A band was also playing near the entrance, and the sounds reverberated beautifully off of the statues in the main hall. I loved every minute we spent there!
I’ll write more about yesterday (Friday) a little bit later – we went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower late last night, so I didn’t have time to post before bed. Check back soon to read about one of the most magical experiences of my life!
