Modern Art

We woke up early in search for a baguette with breakfast which led us to a fancy area of Paris and beautiful buildings. It was fun to wander the streets before stores opened as people were sweeping sidewalks and others headed to work. Then we walked down the famous tree-lined Champs-Elysees passing herds of people shopping and restaurants and stores paying the most expensive rent in Paris for the envious location. Before we reached the end of the street, we both had a new article of clothing. The fashion is contagious...we hope. The Champs-Elysees leads to Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe, the huge arch in the center of the world's largest roundabout. We followed the tunnel underground to sit under the arch and watch the crazy traffic. Afterwards we visited the Museum of Modern Art. Strangest piece - poo in a tin can. Literally. The artist pooed in a can. At least this is what we thought it said. The can was displayed in a glass cube on a white podium. Plenty of others were equally disturbing/interesting/thought provoking.

The highlight of the day was the impressive Centre Pompidou, where we ended up spending the entire afternoon. The bizarrely and creatively designed museum had two exhibitions and a permanent collection. Our favorite exhibition was Dreamlands, which brought together various installations using every medium you could imagine to portray the intersection between the dream world and reality. Salvador Dali, Dubai construction projects, and dancing skyscrapers all made an appearance. The modern art was wild. Almost always provoking an extreme emotion. Some terrifying or shocking or disgusting. Others inspiring or hilarious. A silent movie featurng "Fatty Arbuckle" made us laugh out loud. And of course there were times we just stared and had no idea what was being expressed or how to even appreciate the effort. The top floors had incredible views of the city. The plaza around the centre was alive with beautiful people drinking at sidewalk cafes or sitting on the cobblestone while musicians and magicians performed in the street.