Day 60: Paris

The 4th and final day of Paris started promptly at 8:30 on Halloween. I had some cereal, showered, packed my thigns up, deflated the air mattress, and then headed out.

I first went to the Musee d'Orsay and saw some of the great artists that I remember studying, and that you probably undoubtedly have heard of. Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and Cezanne pretty much controlled the top floor of the museum. I saw the famous Bedroom by Van Gogh, and some of the figure studies by Monet. I walked around the rest of the museum and saw some realist painting that I really liked. I love realisim in painting and the way that the artist can create an environment that seems so real. It has always fascinated me.



I met up with zach at 12:30 and headed to the Pantheon. We ate at a small cafe before going inside. The pantheon is a massive structure that seems to suck you in. The floorplan is open, no pews or alters, with just frescoes and some sculptures. We saw the pendulum which miraculously gives the exact time. It is something that has to be seen in person to full appreciate the science behind it. We went down to the crypt and saw the various tombs of our history as well as the amazing architecture that was present even under the church.



Zach and I separated and I headed to the O'chateau Wine Tasting. They taught us varous techniques for how to properly drink and taste wine. There three ways to handle wine: through sight, through smell, and through taste. The guide taught us a way in which we can get more flavor out of the wine by doing a sort of gargling procedure which allows the wine to diffuse throughout one's mouth. We tried three wines: 1 white and 2 red which all tasted so much better than the wine I've been drinking thus far (perhaps the amount I spend on the wine has something to do with it?).

I went back to the apartment afterward, picked up my things, said my goodbyes and thank yous, and headed to the Metro for my last journey of the 4 day expedition towards Bercy station. As I arrived I was shocked to see so many people waiting in such a small lobby for the train. It has been delayed 15 minutes, but since I arrived 45 minutes early, I had to wait an hour to board. I finally did and shared the cabin with a French man and his two daughters. We chatted a bit and then I read before falling into a relaxing slumber.