You Are a Tourist

To conclude this week of Parisian adventures, I relate the stories of the Louvre and reliving my teen girl fantasies at the Death Cab for Cutie concert.

First of all, the Louvre just isn't real. Second, it's also too massive to do in one day. Now I'm not saying we visited absolutely every part of the Louvre in one day, but it sure felt like it. Next time I go (if I can muster enough strength for a second round) I'm definitely going to bypass the Egyptian and Greek stuff. Lovely artifacts and sculptures, but my goodness. I wanted to cry about an hour into the visit.

The most exciting part of being in the Louvre was when I could find a chair to sit on. (KIDDING. I really did love it.)

Seeing all of Napoleon's chambers really put history into perspective for me. I have been particularly troubled by the ostentatiousness of it all. It's obviously magnificent to look at in our day, and I certainly do appreciate every facet of the culture's wealth and the beauty that that wealth produced, but I cannot help but feel disturbed when I think of the exploitation of individuals behind all of the grandeur, whether that be in the Louvre or around Paris. It's just...unsettling. Alright, getting off my meditation box now.

Gosh, Napoleon. Make yourself a dang quesadilla. 

All of my negativity aside, I wouldn't be a humanities student if I didn't have some favorites (which were, to my pleasant surprise, not La Jaconde or Winged Victory or the Venus de Milo, though those certainly were awe-inspiring).

Since I'm not an Art History student I'm not going to take the time to analyze these paintings or explicate them further, but I certainly will add them to my post to make my blog prettier:

Grande Odalisque, commissioned by Napoleon's sister, Caroline. Seeing this in real life was too good to be true. Love me my exotic Romanticism.

Painted by a Dutch painter. The name escapes me, but I love nudes. So this one made the cut.

Venus on a Winter Backdrop. Best rendition of Venus I've seen in awhile.

What happens when Roland gets a turn with the camera.

What happens when we catch our reflection in a mirror. Yummy. 

And last but not least, this cool girl. I just couldn't stop taking pictures of her. Talk about the female gaze! Oh, and the Mona Lisa (Jaconde) in the background was pretty cool too.

So after an exhausting, eventful day I can officially say I have been to the Louvre! It really is just too massive to take in all in one day. I will definitely need to go back to truly appreciate every work there. It was touching to walk through and encounter works that I had discussed in my Women in Art class nearly three years ago, and that is what makes me grateful for the chance to be here. I finally feel like all of the preparation, all of the books, all of the history, all of the French classes were actually worth it, and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world.

Speaking of experiences I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, we saw Death Cab for Cutie tonight! And in Paris. No big deal. Only my DREAMS coming true all OVER the place! I can't handle it some days--I really can't. Needless to say, Ben Gibbard played an amazing show, and I felt transported to my pre-teen roots again. The nostalgic feels were overwhelming. At the end they played "Transatlanticism," which was too fitting for this moment in my life. And yes, I did bawl my eyes out. It was just this joyous moment of being with my big brother at the concert of a band we loved through our teenager years in a city that we have adored our entire lives. And then there was the joyful realization that I was also listening to the band that inspired my dreams of my future man, and there was Roland, holding me closer than anyone would ever get. Perfection. Fulfillment doesn't even begin to describe how I felt about being at that concert.

Why, hello! (I need you so much closer...)

All I can say at this point is that I am one lucky girl, and I don't deserve to be here, though I do in the sense that I have studied my fanny off my entire life to appreciate this experience. I will be heading to London bright and early and making all of my anglophile dreams come true this weekend! Europe is the best place, to quote an old lady from the Little Women movie. But really, it is, and I don't think I will ever get enough of it.