University of North Carolina Athletics
Letters From Europe: Trinity Bursey
May 20, 2008 | Women's Basketball
May 20, 2008
We were told the day before that we had to leave at 6 a.m. in order to get an early start. The wake up call went off at five and, believe me, five o'clock never felt so early!
Everyone loaded the bus and snacked on the little breakfast bags the hotel provided for us. We were on our way to the EuroStar. The station was exactly like the airport, complete with security checks and lots of people. My security experience was very, very thorough. Because of my belt, the metal detector went off, and unlike in America where they wand people down, the English believe in "patting down" suspects. Unfortunately, my bag was picked for a random search, so they detained me for 15 minutes while they took everything out.
They say the EuroStar lasts about two hours, but as I was fast asleep through the entire ride, I couldn't tell you.
As soon as we reached France, we were met with pouring rain. This was funny because England is known for its rain and it was absolutely beautiful when we left. I guess we brought the rain with us.
We were then introduced to our French tour guide Thierry. Even though we were exhausted, he insisted we see the sights. First we went to one of the bridges running across the Seine River. The view from there was impressive, allowing us to see the beautiful boats below us and the wonderful landscape around us.
Next stop was a little spot where we could get a full view of the Eiffel Tower. The whole team had fun taking pictures and drinking in the view. We also had a lot of fun with the local merchants. Even though we said no, they continued to follow us. So, as a team, we decided the best thing to do was to pretend to fall asleep. In order to get the action on camera, we gathered in a circle and waited for the "sellers" to approach us. As soon as they arrived, we all pretended to fall asleep. It was hilarious.
Next we were taken to the Louvre, which is the largest museum in the world. If we were to spend a minute at each piece, it would take a month to view everything. Because we only had a few hours, we were taken to the most famous pieces. We started with the Greek antiquities, viewing masterpieces such as the Venus de Milo. The sculpture is complete expect for its arms that were lost during the years. The Winged Victory of Samothrace was one of the most famous sculptures. Headless and armless, the statue appeared to be placed on a boat of some sort. Only the hand and one finger of the statue was found. Apparently no one intends to find the rest as it would be too much trouble.
We then went up the stairs and viewed the crown diamonds. The whole team took pictures and dreamt of such wealth. We then went through the large format French paintings and the Italian paintings. The self coronation of Napoleon was amazing, making the tiniest detail seem life-like. Everyone was excited to view the Mona Lisa. However, I can't say it was any more beautiful than any other piece in the building. Opposite the Mona Lisa was the Wedding Feast at Cana. Consisting of over 100 characters, the painting was breathtaking.
The only room in the building with air conditioning was the chamber with the Mona Lisa. According to him, the Mona Lisa had to be at a certain temperature because it was painted on wood instead of canvas. For this reason, unless it is at just the right temperature, the painting will crack.
There were so many more paintings and sculptures we saw that never ceased to amaze us. And there were thousands more we didn't get to experience. Visiting Paris is a trip of a lifetime, and one we will not soon forget.
