I have another important sight checked off my list of things to do, the Musee d'Orsay, which is an old train station that got converted into a museum and now holds all the 19th century artwork like monet, degas, van gough, cezanne, etc...generally not my favorite genre of art, but it was pretty cool to see. i'm taking a class in 19th century art and we will be going to this museum often, so i'm hoping that maybe learning more about impressionism and post-impressionism stuff will make me like it more. it's all very pretty but some of that stuff just makes me want to throw up for some reason....however, what is really cool and what i appreciate most about studying in paris is the fact that i get to learn about artists and artworks next to the actual, original, life-size work in a museum instead of looking at a bad reproduction projected onto a screen in a lecture hall. its a bit mind-boggling, really. even if it is art that makes me want to puke. but hopefully this will change.

  

(the musee d'orsay)    

  

  (pretty gilded ballroom inside the musee d'orsay)

In other news, the paris transportation system is on strike as of today. i'm not sure why they are striking, and what is even more confusing is that they are still operating a lot of metros and busses, but supposedly they are running less frequently or something. from what i've heard and observed first-hand today, however, is that everything is exactly the same as it usually is. it seems like a kind of inefficient way to strike, but, as the french say, c'est la vie. i guess there is some law about striking that requires the strikers to do like a little bit of work or something. 

    Anyways, this weekend we are all going to normandy, as i may have mentioned before. I'm not much of a WWII buff, so for me, this trip is particularly alluring because i will be fed for free. i love food. but i will try to learn something also, if possible.