Paris, France by Elizabeth Sanchez

A week and a half has passed now on my study abroad to Paris and I have experienced so much in a short amount of time. I grew up in the south so I mainly rely on cars and buses for transportation but wow is that different here in Paris. Many who live here in France commute to their daily activities by foot and bikes or rely on the metro system for further commutes. That was especially true this morning when we attempted to board the metro to head toward our first destination, the Louvre Museum. After entering the metro station and making our way down the stairs, the metro was packed. People were shuffling in every which way trying to get on their respective routes. My class group consists of about twelve of us and had to split our group into three different metros to arrive at our destination. This was the busiest I have ever seen a means of transportation but we made it nevertheless. Once we arrived at the Louvre museum, I was astonished by all the pieces of artwork I recognized. I studied AP Art History in high school and seeing some of these pieces in person was a magnificent fever dream. Some of my favorite pieces I got to observe were The Raft of the Medusa, The Wedding at Cana, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, The Venus de Milo, The Liberty Leading the People, The Seated Scribe, and of course the Mona Lisa (before cake was thrown on it.) Having learned the significance of these masterpieces made them so much more admirable. I was also thankful to have a tour guide with us to explain some of the artworks that were not familiar to me. It was a bit difficult to navigate through the crowds of people but it was amazing to see how many people came to appreciate these timeless pieces. We did not get to visit all of the Louvre museum but it is definitely worth a visit the next time I visit this beautiful city. 

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