The Wanderings

I spent the weekend on-the-go. Saturday morning, I woke up and found my way to Montmartre, the true undercity of Paris. The place where artists, writers, bohemians, lovers, and searchers go. Walking around, seeing the world famous Moulin Rouge, the Sacre Coeur, the seedy sex shops, the cafes, I was at once relieved, and at once immediately at home. I feel as if I can’t even begin to really see the city until I’ve finished site-seeing. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Musee d’Orsay, all calling, needing to be seen before I can let go and find my true Paris.

I could spend a year just walking the streets, absorbing he ether of life, of fellow people, but real people.

On Sunday, I visited Giverny, the hometown of Claude Monet. His house and garden, largely kept the same as when he lived were beautiful. The garden itself was full of hundreds of blooming flowers, and the house full of blooming Japanese landscapes. I saw the bridge where he made his most famous impressionist paintings, as well as his lily pond that he is so renowned for. All in all, a wonderful excursion, a nice way to spend the day and reflect.

Tomorrow morning, I am heading to Paris to visit a museum. I haven’t decided yet which museum, but I feel the need to get away from people and spend a quiet morning with myself, recalibrating my mind.

I feel as if each day spent on campus is a waste of my study abroad experience, and I refuse to spend one second longer here than I must. My explorations start now, and school be damned.

A picture bound exercise for clarification: