days 11 & 12: institut du monde arabe & alexander nevsky

In between a study break, I think I will catch up with some of the last few days of action. On Thursday, we visited the Institut du Monde Arabe after class. I think our exhaustion was quite evident from the tour although I do think we tried to be respectful. The tour guide made it very clear that it was a secular institution and how difficult it was to get the institute built in spite of discrimination against Arabs. She also mentioned how the architecture (which I found was a lovely marriage between oriental and modern styles) did not jive well with some Arabs who visisted who felt it didn't ring true to true Oriental styles.

Apparently the little star-flower-ish-patterns are supposed to change according to the pattern of the sun to let in more or less light depending on the solar panels on their roof. And apparently a few of the ones that we saw were broken and hadn't moved in awhile. :P We took a neat glass elevator up to the museum but we weren't allowed to take pictures inside so all I have is a picture of the elevator shaft:

There weren't many artifacts inside, but I did get to see some Umayyad period art for myself which was pretty exciting, as that was the topic for my MMW 3 essay. The turqouise color that is frequently used in their pottery is quite breathtaking as, from what I recall, it was slightly translucent--or perhaps that was a trick of the light. In any case, after the tour, we made our way to the patio at the top for a lovely view of the Seine and the Notre Dame. And since my mother insists that I include a picture as proof that I am actually, in fact, in Paris:

Unfortunately, the Notre Dame was to the left of the panorama which we didn't manage to capture. You can see more pictures in the album, as always though. (L-R: Vicky, Me)

Afterwards we sat outside on some nice lounge-beach chairs (it seemed like a set up for an outdoor movie of sorts) for a very very short break and started back. I can't even remember what I did that afternoon besides attempting to read and eventually falling asleep...

Before we knew it though, it was time for our Friday excursion. On the agenda for this week was a visit to Cathédrale Saint Alexandre Nevsky. I admit, the way I remember his significance is through Professor Herbst's mention of the use of Alexandre's character in history as the protagonist in a Soviet-era propagandistic film called Alexander Nevsky where the courageous Nevsky fights of the evil West (historically Western Europe). Again, pictures were "interdit" as the French like to remind us but I have a picture of the facade. (Actually the inside was quite beautiful and clearly different than a Catholic church with its numerous icons. There was a lovely painting in there of Jesus walking on water that I wish I could've gotten a picture of, but alas...Photographie est interdit!)

Our tour guide took us into the crypt below and proceeded to explain (what felt like) each icon and its significance. If you have ever been in a traditional Orthodox Church, you know how what a substantial number that is. All the same, it was very interesting to look at and it does make more sense when someone explains who all the people are, otherwise they're just more religious men (and Mary) in pious poses.

Our agenda for the day was to include a promenade of the Parc Monceau and a visit to the Musée Cernuschi, but we (I believe including the Herbst family and Christine, our guide) were all clearly exhausted so we decided to head back after the Park. The rest of the day was dedicated to resting and studying until dinner time at Autour de.... The (French) entree (the U.S. appetizer) was delicious! It was a bit of salmon on toast in delicious sauce with cheese (or was there?), egg, and spinach on it. The main dish was somewhat forgettable as it was six pieces of meat (I'm not sure what it was) over beans but as dessert, we got Tiramisu.

And yet, later that evening a few friends and myself decided we were still hungry and would catch a late night snack. It seems inevitably but we found ourselves back at the Latin Quarter at the St Michel-Notre Dame stop of the RER-B. We grabbed some frites and some ice cream, took some fun pictures by the Notre Dame by evening, and headed home happily hailing the evening a success.

On another note, my mosquito bites have been healing well and I am happy to report that I have not found any new bites since my last post. Yes, I still have a few little bumps that may scar from my excessive itching but everyone has these--right? Haha, in any case I have learned my lesson and I now thoroughly enforce our room rules of closing the windows and blinds at night (or at least shutting it most of the way.)