ok so the palace of versailles isn't technically a museum, and i went there on friday (2/8) but im splitting this weekend's blog up into 2 parts- museums and amsterdam.
i'm a huge fan of marie antoinette. mainly the movie, but i still think she's pretty hardcore. friday we headed to versailles as a group, we took the RER which is basically like the metro, just a bit slower and with fewer stops. we arrived at the palace and were forced into group pictures. normally i wouldnt mind, but the weather was beyond cold and my toes were frozen. after what seemed like a never-ending photo shoot, we went inside and everyone split up. i walked around with betsy, and another girl in the program named emily (andie, you were missed dude). the palace was spectacular. the art work on the ceilings is so rich in color and the detail is impeccable. the walls are plastered with fancy fabrics and the chandeliers sparkle. its truly majestic (and to think it was only a summer home).
the hall of mirrors was amazing. the walls were completely covered in glass, everywhere you turned you could check yourself out. some may say marie antoinette was vain, i personally think she's brilliant. we took typical tourist pictures... sorry im not sorry.
we ate lunch in the castle's small cafe and then headed to the gift shop to look around. i plan to go back when it's warmer so i can sit in the gardens and reflect, rather than be focused on how cold i am. i didn't even make an attempt to sit in the gardens on this trip.
here i am being a diva.
our day trip to versailles ended with a photo op with a man dressed up like an egyptian mummy. he was completely still until i put a coin in his small bowl, he then bowed and i jumped and shrieked like a little girl. he caught me off guard. we posed and then went on our merry way back to paris.
today, monday the 11th, after a 7 hour bus ride back to paris i finally made it. it's funny, i've only been here a week, but i really did feel like i was coming back home. i missed my friends and was ready to see them, and was excited to be back in my new city. i get a gold star from the metro guru. i have now successfully arrived on time, and in one piece to many destinations in and around paris completely on my own. this is no easy task my friends, trust me.
i met up with ze friends at the isa office at 4:10. we were getting ready to head to le centre pompidou, which is the museum of modern art. but first, a photo in front of notre dame, and i had to get a sammich. 
as we were walking down the stairs to the metro this man came sprinting up the stairs, and before i knew it i was being hit in the face with my own baguette. he ran off and i stood there completely confused. why was this man trying to beat me with my sandwich?
turns out, the idiot was trying to steal my purse and pushed me in an attempt to take it off my shoulder. he failed, and i was able to continue eating in peace. take that suckah.
we arrived at the centre pompidou just as the sun was beginning to set. don't get me wrong, i LOVE my clemson sunsets, but even i was blown away by how beautiful the colors in the sky were. different shades of pinks, blues, oranges, yellows, and purples, were painted across the sky. it was an exhibit of its own. i would post a picture but it wouldn't do it any justice. it was beautiful. i'll leave it to you and your imagination to try and picture it.
we went inside and i immediately knew this was the artwork that i had been waiting to see. everything was so abstract, so full of color, and it was fun trying to think about what the artist must have been inspired by when creating the pieces.
here are a few of my favorites:
selfies for days.
we then went in to the Dali exhibit. it's pretty neat to see a picture live that you've looked at for so many years in a text book.
its really small. but so cool.
i also really loved this piece.
dali is quite the character. for those of you who know his work, some of it is pretty morbid, a lot is sexual, and there are a lot of paintings that have jesus and the crucifixion incorporated into them, though i doubt this artist was the least bit of a "religion man".
i like dali because it is evident through his art that he always marched to the beat of his own drum. he painted what he wanted, said whatever came to mind, and expressed himself clearly in his work. these are things i hope to come back to the states with, a confidence to march to my own drum and the strength to follow my own body, mind, and soul, regardless of what those around me think or do, just in a less raunchy way than my man salvador.
stay tuned for my amsterdam blog. it's a comin soon.
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