Abbey Blog: Here at the Abbey, this is what we call class: Paris Week.

On Sunday we began our 'study' of Paris. The group of 42 was split in half for Sunday's ParisWALKS. While half of us went to the Louvre Museum, the other half spent the day at The Palace of Versailles. At Versailles we were able to see the home of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the last French monarchs. The palace was very extravagant. Much of it was gold plated. One room that was very interesting to us was the Queen's bedroom. Over sixteen royal children were born in the room. We saw the door from which Marie Antoinette escaped on October 5, 1789 during the storming of Versailles. The hall of mirrors was the most impressive room. It is very long and has many chandeliers that hang down the entire length of the hall. The paintings on the ceiling were very beautiful as well.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday we participated in ParisWALKS guided by our very own professors. There were seven different walks every day and missing out on some to go on another was a little disappointing but ended up working out fine. We learned that one of the best views in Paris is at the top of the Centre Pompidou, what impressionist art actually is, and how the economics of Paris affect the markets and the consumers that shop at these markets.

Wednesday was a free day! Some people spent the day at EuroDisney. Some went to visit other sights around Paris. Others caught up on much needed sleep.

On Friday, after a fun, informative, and exciting week, the two groups from Sunday's WALKS at either The Palace of Versailles or Musee de Louvre went to whatever event they missed out on. At the Musee de Louvre, we learned that Cardinal Richelieu, who helped Louis XIII run France in the 1600s, worked out of our Abbey in Pontlevoy. We also learned from Dr. Mackaman that Mississippi taxpayers helped fund the renovation of two of the rooms in the Palais du Louvre several years back. The Louvre Museum itself is massive and i s said to take a month to observe everything inside. The Louvre Museum contains artwork from ancient Egypt up to the 20th century. Many famous pieces, such as The Wedding Feast at Caana, Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory, Mona Lisa, St. John the Baptist, and The Virgin of the Rocks, can be found inside. You can also see the Crown Jewels and Napoleon's apartment in the Palais du Louvre. Visiting the Louvre is overwhelming, but is an absolute must for anyone visiting Paris.