Metz

Metz is a small village outside of Paris that, for whatever reason, has been plagued with the second Centre Pompidou, a museum of modern art. On Friday, the PCS (Paris Contemporary Studies, my group of nine students) program was invited to join the art history students for a day trip to Metz to see the museum. We all met at the train station for our 8:39 train and settled in for the hour and a half ride. I tried to sleep but the conversations going around me were both loud and interesting so at most, I rested. It was cold and windy when we go there and since the museum hadn’t actually opened yet, we had to wait outside. Three hours and three floors later, I would look upon these moments fondly. Three HOURS of someone EXPLAINING modern art. By the time we finally reached the last gallery, I’m fairly sure the guide could FEEL our hostility. There were some interesting pieces but honestly, my feet hurt and I just wanted to be anywhere else. It didn’t help that we knew lunch was after, whatever ‘after’ meant, and rumor had it that BU would be treating us. Fortunately, they let us go around 1, unfortunately with only an hour to get to ‘the cathedral’ (that we could see from the museum windows) and find our own lunch on the way. Two PCS girls and I lagged behind so we ended up walking with the teachers for part of the way (because we had no idea where we were going) but broke off when it seemed like we were close. We tried not to stay with everyone else because we didn’t have much time to get food and it always takes longer to serve a huge group, so we found a quiet pub and got some delicious food quickly. After asking about a zillion people how to get to the cathedral and practically running there, we were some of the first to arrive. While we waited for the others, we walked through this covered market that reminded me a lot of Faneuil Hall, except there were fruit and fish stands along with restaurants. We came back out just in time to see the group walking away and into the cathedral, which apparently wasn’t a bug deal because even after we had gone inside and looked around and came back out, students were still arriving. The last stop was another modern art museum but this one was much more tolerable and I only wish that we had spent our three hours there instead of at the Centre Pompidou. One of the ‘exhibits’ going on was entitled ‘Discover the World’ and the artist had painted a world map in different places all over the inside and outside of the building in places that you really wouldn’t notice unless you were shown. There were video clips and really interesting installations and I honestly wish we had more time there. We were so early back to the train station that our track hadn’t been posted yet so we walked around and I got a pain au chocolat (per usual). I had planned to sleep on the way home because I was exhausted and the Italian had invited me to a little dinner party he was hosting at our place that night so I figured I would nap a little to recharge before the dinner; however, I sat next to one of the girls I had eaten lunch with and we talked the entire hour and a half ride home. She’s here living with her boyfriend so she told me all about him and what they do on the weekends. She invited me to go out with them some time and I said I’d love to.

The dinner party was just amazingly fun. Most of his friends are Italian but they try to speak French if I’m around. I had met everyone there previously and we just talked and watched Youtube videos and ate the best food I’ve ever eaten. I am so unbelievably lucky to have this life.