Day 21 (Paris)

Today was a relatively free day. We were give the morning to do with what we liked. Everyone split up Tia and Lauren headed to the fashion museum (which Lauren and I will probably go to again once the group leaves, a couple of girls went to the Erotic museum, and me and Mollie went to Napoleon's Tomb and the Museum of the Army. The tomb was amazing. It was made of a gorgeous red wood that was terribly grand. Everything in it made your jaw drop. It's simply amazing; everywhere you turn in Paris there is architecture and art of infinate splendor and beauty. After the tomb we went to the Hotel des Invalides which was originally built to house injured and retired soldiers but now houses the Museum of the Army. It was so interesting. It had several departments including the two world wars, medieval armor, and modern war. It was fantastic to go through and see all the old war uniforms from all different campaigns and intricate suits of armor that belonged to various French kings. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the whole museum because we had to meet back up with the rest of the group to visit the Rodin Museum. I know this is going to sound sacrilegious, but I'm a big fan of Rodin. I prefer classical and neo-classical sculpture so most of Rodin's work just looks sloppy to me. And the Thinker is over-rated. However, it was funny to watch all of the tourist walking around trying to imitate the positions of Rodin's sculptures. I did like the room that housed Camille Claudel's (Rodin's pupil). In particular, I enjoyed L'Age Mur which has particular resonance for me.