Day 5

This trip is getting better and better every day. Today we went to the Musee d'Orsay, and I felt chills in almost every room I walked into. What was best was seeing the Impressionist paintings on the 5th floor, with artists like Degas, Monet, Van Gogh, who blew my mind away. Seeing those paintings up close really opened my eyes to Impressionism. Before, I did not see why that style was so popular. But the variety of colors in the bold brush strokes and the capturing of light was done by the work of geniuses! Viewing the paintings from life allowed me a chance to see the artist's thought process, because the layers of paint are more clear. Now, I truely understand why we study them. Fortunately, unlike the massive Louvre, I was able to see the whole museum in one day, and because of that I knew I was looking at the best of the best pieces.

Other than the going to d'Orsay, some of the classmates and I sat on the steps outside and had fun feeding the birds and watching then eat bread out of Chris and Kim A's hands. Then we walked down to the famous art store, Sennelier, where the group gawked over all the supplies, especially the pens. It was a tiny store with a narrow staircase leading up to the second and third level. I bought some color pencils and even got a student discount! Afterward, a few of us walked around hunting for a spot to paint, and finally found a corner bar next to a flower shop and set up our water color stations.

It was a very relaxing day, that unfortunately had to end early because as soon as I layed down to rest my feet, I fell asleep for 3 hours. John really works us hard, and keeps us moving ALL DAY(except today). I am sore in places of my body I forgot I had, but it is the most satisfying pain I have ever felt.