Free Museum Day in Paris

Yesterday was free museum day in Paris!  The first Sunday of every month, Paris opens their museums for all to enjoy FOR FREE!  It is one of the only things in Paris you get for free, so many people living in the city take advantage!

Along with the whole, "I am still figuring myself out" thing, I have to ask myself if I even care about visiting a museum.  Everything around me tells me, "Yes!  You love to learn!  Look at the history!  Look at the art!  You are in Paris!  Go!  Go to the museums!!!"  But everything inside me says, "Hmmmm.  That is a weird picture.  How long should I stand and ponder at this weird trinket from the middle ages?"  I don’t know people!  Is it just me or are museums sometimes a little boring? 

Justin, Ndriana (pronounced Gene, he is French and was a huge help to giving us lots of French history), Megan (who is living here for three months and I absolutely think she is wonderful), and I all started out bright and early (11am) to begin our free museum day.  We first went to the Pompidou, which is a modern arts museum.  It was really cool.  I think I sort of made a fool out of myself because while we were still in the first room, I looked over to see a huge painting of two women who were made of out weird shaped objects and proclaimed, "See.  I just don’t like that kind of style.  I don’t like that painting."  Ndriana (Gene) says, "Ohhhh.  It’s only a Picasso!"  Oops.  Funny that as soon as I knew it was a Picasso, I started thinking it wasn’t too bad.  Maybe it was wonderful.  I don’t know.  Ndriana actually said he appreciated my first response because so many people will "oooh" and awww" at it because they know it is a Picasso and I just said what I first saw not knowing the painter.  Hee hee.  There were many things at the museum that I thought were really cool.  I loved the photography!  Super cool stuff.   We spent a few hours there and then headed out.

We had a great lunch at one of my new favorite restaurants called, "Little Italy".  Amazing food and run by Italians so you know it is good stuff!  We got some Starbucks and then walked to our next museum, which was the middle ages museum.  Not bad.  Lots of statue heads that were knocked off the body.  Lots of headless statues.  Super cool fabric.  Some cool old shoes that looked like they would fit a giant.  Then teeny shoes that Megan and I said we would wear today.  They had amazing stain glass windows.  That was my favorite part of the museum I think. 

The sad thing about the way my brain works is that information goes in then out so quickly.  I am not a blond, but sometimes I think I am.  I was born one.  Does that count?  At least I would have an excuse!  I really liked these museums, but I don’t remember where the artifacts came from, who painted which painting, etc etc etc.  I remember what the artwork looks like, I can remember the shoes!  But no other information than the image in my head has stuck around and it is only the day after.  Sad.  But do I honestly need to remember these things?  I already have a hard enough time remembering people’s names, let alone a piece of artwork that maybe I will never see again. 

So, maybe I am not the most intellectual person in this world and I am OK with that.  I like what I like.  I like museums (I think), but I will never be the girl (like Megan…dang her!!) that has great background information on all the artists!  I think I will just be me and look at what I like and move on, instead of standing in a museum wondering how long I should be interested before I can move on.  I do look forward to free museum day next month because IT IS FREE!  I will try to be the smart girl once a month, but only if it’s free!