The first week of your time in Paris will probably pass by quickly, as you go through orientation and spend part of the week in Normandy. But, after the first week of classes, you’ll be acclimated and ready to take on Paris, and really see as much of the city as possible!
And then, since it’s the beginning of fall, there’s a very good chance it might rain, which it started to do this past Friday and hasn’t stopped since. I abandoned my original plan to go to Versailles, and decided to spend the weekend indoors. The really great news is that Paris is home to the world’s most fabulous museums—and they should all be free of charge with your student ID card!
View of rainy Paris from the stairs at Centre Pompidou.
On Saturday, I met a few friends for a lunch of savory crêpes and then headed over to the Centre Pompidou. As my hostess said, it’s not beautiful, but it sure is interesting. The paintings, sculptures, videos, and other pieces of art that I don’t have the proper vocabulary to describe are breathtaking. Give yourself a full afternoon to really appreciate the museum, and don’t rush through, or you will likely miss details that completely change the meaning of the works and your level of appreciation.
On Sunday, I started off the day with mass at Notre Dame. The service was short and beautiful, and the priest even summarized the homily in English for non-French speaking visitors. The cathedral itself is a sight to behold, with lovely architecture and paintings. If you attend the services you can skip the line for visitors (which I didn’t realize until after waiting 15 minutes in the rain).
After Notre Dame, I took advantage of a short pause in the downpour to walk to the Musée d’Orsay. While much smaller than I expected, the museum has a lot to offer, and hosts the largest collection of impressionist works. I only spent a few hours there, so I definitely plan on going back soon!
One piece of advice: don’t be afraid to explore a museum on your own. You can spend as much (or as little) time as you would like in front of each piece without feeling rushed or delayed. For example, at Pompidou, I stood with a few friends and watched a projection of a world map change according to countries and empires over the course of 2,000 years, with one year per second, while half of our group wandered throughout the rest of the floor. When the projection had gone full circle, half of the group was ready to leave while other half was just getting started. Open yourself to being mesmerized, fascinated, stopped in your tracks, and don’t worry about others.
Me, appreciating art.