July 16

Time here is starting to pick up. I really can’t believe that we’ve been in Paris now for four full days. Italy’s clock ticks and tocks a little slower than the city of love! Paris has been amazing! I’m completely satisfied with the way our time has been divided in each city. This morning our group went to the famous Villa Savoye by Swiss-born, Corbusier (pronounced cor-boos-eyay). Corbusier thought he was pretty hot to trot and felt that the Villa Savoye was the perfect house according to his Five Points of New Architecture- stilts, roof gardens, open plan, free-floating facade, and horizontal windows. I definitely couldn’t live in it but I was impressed with how classic it is. Yes, it’s modern, but it doesn’t look like it was built in the late twenties and early thirties. I fell in love with the land that the house sits on. It’s a perfect place for a home if you put it in America. The land has beautiful trees and greenery surrounding the property. It’s not too big where you might feel scared or too small where you don’t feel as if you have privacy. Some call this home a “box in the air” and that is exactly what it is!

We sketched for a little bit. Did I mention that i’m touring with a bunch of artists. I'm not seeking a career as a sketch artist, so I wouldn’t say I’m too hard on my sketches, but I look to my left and then I look to my right and cant help but think I'm sketching impaired :).

We took a train back into Paris and had lunch at Kong. I guess Darrin has been a few times and we were all in need of food. Usually we pick something up along the street. Kong is a very unique venue. It's on the top floor of a funky modern building. Kong has a nice view of the city that we enjoyed while lunching. Not too shabby. And not to mix food and potty talk but there is a sumo wrestler in the restroom! I didn't know if I should laugh or cry! He seems pretty harmless...

 

After lunch we walked in the beating hot sun (for some reason today was scorching… I think the weather has spoiled us the last couple of days) to the Mus’ee d’ Orsay. An art gallery that has a lot of impressionist paintings with a number of different artists including; Monet, Van Gough, Pissarro, and Degas. The Mus’ee d’ Orsay definitely stood out to me and I really enjoyed their collection of artwork. I was surprised at how much I loved Degas, Dancers in Blue. I had seen prints of it before and always thought it was so dark and unappealing, but the color is so vivid and the textures and brushstrokes are genius. I couldn’t stop staring!

Here are just a few that caught my eye. By the time we made it through my legs were at the point I like to call shaky. Maybe my body will be all chiseled like some of these sculptures we've been seeing by the time I get home! Back to the hotel. Back to the room. And back out to do some laundry. Courtney and I chilled there for awhile and that’s about all I have to say. Peace. Love. And of course, Happiness!