Written by Tucker Pruden ’18 to recount Monday, March 13, 2017:

This morning, our French Exchange group visited the Opera house in Paris, often referred to as the Palais Garnier for its architect Charles Garnier. The Opera house quickly grabs one’s attention with its stunning views and intricate designs. The balconies and the beautiful stairwell were used for the wealthy to show off their elaborate dresses as a show before the show. The  opera was all about class differences and one showing his or her wealth usually accompanied by a partner. The main theatre isn’t given the same respect as the stairwell as the people showing off their beauty was of higher importance after the mid-1800s in Paris. The ballroom was incredible as well as its walls are covered floor to ceiling in gold work and art work.

Written by Payton Stredler ’18 to recount Monday afternoon, March 13, 2017:

After lunch, we walked to the Louvre and began our hour tour of the most famous art museum in the world. The glass diamonds sticking out of the ground in front of the old palace contrasted new and old art, incorporating art into basically every part of the museum, even before the entrance. We first visited the Da Vinci exhibit. Foremost, we saw the Mona Lisa. It was much smaller than I thought it would be! Our tour guide informed us about the history of many of the pieces throughout the museum, pointing out details about the paintings and statues that I would have otherwise not noticed. One of my favorite pieces was The Winged Victory of Samothrace, a 2nd century BC marble statue. It stood tall in its own hallway, surrounded by people imitating its pose. I admired the Liberty Leading the People, a famous revolutionary painting, and also the cover of the Coldplay album Viva la Vida. The Venus de Milo caught my eye in the ancient Greek exhibit. It is one of the most famous pieces of ancient Greek art. It, too, was surrounded by a wall of tourists imitating it. We did not see that much of the museum, only the main masterpieces among a few notable others. I really enjoyed touring the Louvre and seeing all these magnificent works of art in real life.