night in the museum

 

Spent a lovely day visiting les invalides, museé rodin, and la tour eiffel. The Rodin museum is by far one of my favorite places in all of Paris. The museum is an old mansion built in the 1720s. The colors and lighting of the house were stunning. The museum is also home to various monet and van gough paintings, but my favorites were, of course, the rodin sculptures. Each of Rodin's sculptures is infused with so much emotion. Rodin was interested in hands and the distance between touch, which i found especially moving. Outside of the mansion are some of the most beautiful gardens I've ever visited. There is a small woodsy area, a beautiful reflecting pond, rows and rows of roses, and beautiful sculptures scattered about. Unfortunately, Carla Bruni wasn't our tour guide like in Midnight in Paris. But we got in with our student art cards for free (those things are magic!) and felt like real French students with our official 'gratuite' stickers. 

We made our way over to les Invalides, the war museum of Paris  where millions pay homage to Napoleon at his tomb. Napoleon must've really had a little man complex, because his tomb is unbelievable. It is housed under a massive dome, with a gaudy altar. His actual tomb is as big as one story of the museum and is shaped like a massive treasure chest. Most French people still love him, as he laid the foundation of modern France, and there were  expensive fresh flowers strewn about the place. I think it must be the largest tomb in the world. 

To finish the day, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower, had a picnic, and watched les enfants on the carousel.  Maccord and I walked to the Louvre to watch the sunset. The City of Lights comes alive at night, and one can't help feeling a bit more alive experiencing it.