Ms. Kennedy in France L'art est l'éducation: Bonjour Paris!

Bonjour Paris! I arrived yesterday afternoon after a long flight with a layover in Iceland. I managed to get myself on the RER train to the city. Once in Paris proper I planned to use my NYC subway skills to navigate the Metropolitan only to discover that the train I was supposed to take no longer stopped at Gare du Nord! So three trains and many stairs later I arrived in darling Monmartre where I will be residing over the next two weeks.

After dropping off my things at my studio I was eager to explore my new surroundings. I headed up the hill to the Sacre-Coeur. What a breath taking structure, not to mention the absolutely unbeatable view of Paris. Following the guidance of travel write Rick Steves I walked through the once bohemian streets of famous artists such as Pierre-August Renoir, Pablo Picasso, and Toulouse Lautrec just to name a few. A bustling neighborhood with not only many tourists but artists as well. The main square is full of many artists and their current works. While tempted by the multitude of delicious creperies I ducked into the L'Espace Dali to view the work of Salvador Dali. The museum offered many of his unknown works featuring a number of engravings and prints. Very well known for his paintings this was excellent exposure to some of his less known works. After a bit more exploring and a sampling of the local boulangerie I headed home.

Well rested I woke up early to head to Musee de l'Orangerie the home of the paintings of Claude Monet's garden. Always beautiful in books and posters, to see them in person I was in awe. The circular rooms draw you into the garden. Claude Monet was nearly blind when he painted these and it almost brings me to tears to think that he could barely see what he was painting but created such masterpieces. He painted massive floor to ceiling paintings corresponding to the time of day and would move to the next painting as the sun changes. I felt like I was walking through the day with Monet. unfortunately I could not take pictures of the work, but they they wouldn't be able to deliver their beauty you'll just have to go visit them yourself one day! The museum also features unique works by artists such as Renoir, Picasso, Cezanne, Rousseau, Modigliani and others.

I continued through the Tulleries Garden headed for the Louvre. Wow, I thought the Metropolitan Museum was crowded! It has nothing on the Louvre. The historic building which was once a palace houses amazing pieces, Greek and Roman works, Near Eastern Antiquities as well as many of the Renaissance Masters. On of the most surprising parts of viewing these works in person is the sheer scale of the work. The Coronation of Napoleon painted by Napoleon's top propagandist artist Jaques-Louis David is unsurprisingly the largest canvas in the Louvre standing at 20'4"x 32'1", check out how small the people are! The Venus de Milo is a work of art that no book could ever do justice I can't believe it was made in the second century. I visited many other works which can be viewed on my flickr account.

After my whirlwind tour of the Louvre I wandered along the Seine and spotted the spire of Notre Dame and decided to head in that direction. Along the way I popped into the Conciergerie which imprisoned those awaiting trial before their trip to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror. Notable prisoners; Louis XVI, Robespierre and Marie- Antoinette. As I exited the Conciergerie with my eye on the flying buttresses of Notre Dame I almost didn't notice the enormous line outside, being that it was almost closing time I decided I will return to view the interior later. Instead I used the light outside to grab some food and take a rive boat around the Seine. As our tour coasted along we got a tour via water of all the history Paris has to offer and I got my first view of the Eiffel tower! Thank you to the Fund for Teachers for this amazing opportunity.