Post Number 6 - Paris

I thought I should take it a little easier today since my body was quite sore from last night's class. I want back to the Centre de Danse du Marais to do a barre au sol classique. It turned out to be a very challenging floor barre (that lasted an hour) and then a little bit of a barre. If that class doesn't open up your hips, nothing will. It was taken by a stern looking, middle aged blonde woman named Anne Le Pord. She, too, pushed me really hard, not satisfied with the height of my legs even though they were going higher than any of the girls in the class. Either they expect more from me or they're just being picky because I'm a foreigner. I hope it's the former.

Class finished close to 1pm, and I was worried that I was not going to be able to accomplish my goal of seeing 2 museums because of the time. In the end, I visited 3 museums with plenty of time to spare:

Number 2: Musee Rodin

Once again, with my pass I walked past a long line of tourists with a smirk. I decided to get the audio guide, so I wouldn't be just staring blankly at the sculptures and paintings. What a museum. It had none of the grandeur of the Louvre, nor the crowds for that matter. It is inside of the cosy, but worn out Hotel Biron. Each room represented a theme or a stage in Auguste Rodin's life. There is also a room dedicated to Camille Claudel, who was a student of Rodin's. I enjoyed the tour of the museum very much. The audio guide was incredibly insightful and pointed out things about the sculptures and paintings that I wouldn't have noticed otherwise, since I don't know much about art or its history. I know, I really wish I had more knowledge. However when I got to his sculptures of dancing people and the audio guide said he was influenced by Lois Fuller and Isadora Duncan, I was glad I knew something. At least.

Number 3: Musee Picasso

I got through the whole of Musee Rodin in an hour. It wasn't a big musem, and the gardens were not that big either. I jumped into the Metro and went to the Musee Picasso. Even the entrance of this museum was interesting. It was covered in square, coloured glass panels, and there were mirrors on one side of the building to create a very interesting illusion. Going in, I felt I was in one of those Hall of Mirrors at a fun fair. I got more and more confused the deeper I got into the museum. It felt like I was in one of Salvatore Dali's paintings, going up stairs and stepping through narrow corridors. The paintings and sculptures were exactly what I pictured them to be. I'm not his biggest fan but I really like his work and the fact that he is such a funny man. My favourite painting was The Kiss.

Number 4 : Centre Georges Pompidou: Musee d'Art Moderne

The building itself is very intriguing. I remember stumbling across it earlier in the week and wondering what the hell it was. It looked like a huge warehouse of fun! Escalators running down the side of the building in glass tubes, the loud colours and just the size of the building will catch your attention without a doubt. I found out what it was, and I figured I might as well have a look now since I am ahead of schedule. If I had to compare Pompidou and Tate Modern, I would say I prefer Pompidou. It is just set out with such style and elegance, even though both have excellent collections. At Pompidou you feel like you are in a very high class hotel, even though there were so many people there. At Tate Modern, you feel like you are at a museum. I walked through all the rooms and exhibitions on the 4th and 5th floors, but I was so tired so I didn't bother to go up to the Futurism exhibition. I loved the audio guide at Pompidou! With some of the works you could choose to listen to Andre and Sarah argue over it. Hahaha. "My son could do that!"

Next on my list is Musee d'Orsay and if I have time:

Saint-Chapelle

Les Arts Decoratifs

Conciergerie

Pantheon

We'll see. I still have 2 days left on my pass.