One Month Closer to Becoming French

Hi Framily! (that's friends and family put together)
I've been in Paris for a month!! I still love it :) The days have yet to become monotonous. I still get a thrill out of riding the metro and seeing the same accordion player 3 separate times in the same week.

So, what little adventures have I had? 
-I went to the Louvre twice this week- Once with my art history class and once on my own.
-Maddie and I made Valentines for everyone like we were back in elementary school
-I got to see Arthur, my foreign exchange student, who I hadn't seen in 4.5 years- See two posts ago for the heart warming story
-I ate some crazy wicked mustard

Cute little valentines! All included inspirational messages written on the back by me. And you know how I give good advice

I'm in front of the Pei entrance!!

The Louvre is huge. Imagine how big you think it is. Then multiply that by at least 2-3 times. It is ginormous and has way more 'stuff' in it that I ever imagined. It's a labyrinth of paintings and sculptures. So easy to get lost and turned around

Example of a confusing hall way in the Louvre

Yesterday, I went back to go look for a specific painting for the paper I needed to write for my art class. Good thing I went with a friend that actually speaks decent French. We had to ask two different employees where the painting was. See, the Louvre is broken up into floors, wings, and rooms. All pretty obvious divisions, right? Wrong. Turns out, in order to navigate the Louvre you need a compass. I have no idea which way north is! And the numbered rooms do not go in any kind of order. So, it took us a good 30mins to just find the painting.

On our way, we did happen upon a room the contains some very famous paintings, including Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People and Géricault's The Raft of the Medusa (a personal favorite of mine, it's a huge painting. It was at least 10x12 feet, not inches). I had a little bit of a 'wow' moment. I know everyone says it, but they really are so different in real life and it is extra cool to experience them in person. Pictures really cannot do them justice

Liberty Leading the People

The Raft of the Medusa

By the way, the Mona Lisa is really lame. The coolest painting in that room is on the opposite wall from it called The Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese. It's the biggest painting I have ever seen in my life, impressive hardly covers it. The people in it are practically life size.

The Wedding at Cana

As a side note, French Dijon mustard is not what it is back in the States. It has a heavy helping of horseradish and if you are not careful will totally give you a major wasabi burn up in your sinuses. I only mention this because at dinner on Wednesday I was served pork tenderloin with baked endive and baby potatoes with this mustard as a condiment. I accidentally got a little heavy handed with the mustard on a particular bite and nearly started crying at dinner. It was pretty hilarious. Just watch out for that French mustard.

Lots of Love,
Emily