La Place des Vosges and La Musée Carnavalet

Today was another relatively early morning.  Classes started at 9:30 with French History (we've now reached the Renaissance and Neoclassicism).  After that we had French Civilization, where we talked about different historic provinces in France.  When classes ended for the day, a few of us went grocery shopping.  I picked up ham and swiss cheese for sandwiches, pasta for dinners, some yogurt, lemonade, camembert cheese, and a box of french cookies.  All for less that 20 euros!  On the way back to the Foyer we stopped and grabbed some sandwiches for lunch.  I had a two hour break then between my shopping and our excursion in the afternoon so I got to work and finished my homework for the day.

At 3:30 we met our French History professor in la Place des Vosges, a square in La Marais (an old Renaissance neighborhood in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements).

The square has four fountains and a large central statue of Louis XIII.  It's the oldest square in Paris and the inspiration for almost every other square and green in Europe.

After our quick visit here, we went to la Musée Carnavalet, or the museum devoted to the History of Paris.  It's been built inside an old Renaissance mansion and showcases collections of art, objets d'art, and furniture showing how people have lived in the city.  The first thing we saw upon entering was a giant bronze statue of Louis XIV, otherwise known as the Sun King.

After entering the museum, we focused mainly on the furniture, paintings, and objets d'art that related to the Renaissance.  The museum itself has exhibits beginning with the Roman Empire and ranging until well into the 20th century.

The room above was by far my favorite.  It was ornate, over-the-top in the Rococo style, and best of all: PINK.  We toured a good number of rooms like this one, all with beautiful furnishings, carved walls, polished ceramics, and glittering chandeliers.  After leaving the museum I headed straight back to the Foyer to get ready for dinner.  

Tonight I had dinner with our program director, her husband, my French literature professor, and three other students on the trip.  It was fantastic. We started with the main course of roasted chicken, bread, and potatoes in garlic, olive oil, and goose fat.  The second course was a light salad and bread.  The third was cheeses (Camembert, Chevre (goat cheese), one other type only available in France, and Caprese) and bread.  My favorite was the Caprese.  It was light and mild while still being soft, creamy, and spreadable.  Delicious.  Finally we ended dinner with a dessert of mousse and eclairs.  For the first time I tried a coffee eclair tonight, and I have to say, I might have found another favorite pastry.

By the time we finished dinner it was well past 10pm, so we headed back home.  I took a shower, uploaded my pictures, and am now about to go to bed.  Tomorrow's not an early morning, but I'm planning on spending a solid eight hours in the Louvre, so I'm going to need my rest.