Frenchified

I have come to the conclusion that I am slowly being Frenchified. This realization dawned on me the other day when I switched from french to english while I was talking to someone and then realized that I was speaking english with a slight french accent.
I guess it must have been because the only english I ever hear in Paris is accented, but it still surprised me! I also notice that when I speak english, I choose my words with more care and speak more slowly, just like I do when I am trying to say something in french. I guess my brain has trouble switching over from one language to another! Then again, speaking with a french accent can work to your advantage here. For example, if you tell a french speaker that you saw the grave of Jim Morrison at the Père Lachaise cemetery, they won't have a clue who you're talking about. However, if you tell them that you saw the grave of Jeem Morreeson (spoken with a soft J, rolled Rs, and emphasis on the last syllable), they will understand you right away.
Anyway, I will have to be careful or I will end up returning to Edmonton speaking french that is slightly improved and english that is slightly worse!
I have had a very busy weekend, including visits to the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Eiffel tower (only to look, not to go up), and Napoleon's tomb. I don't have time to write about them all today, but I will post pictures from them all later in the week, when I will be busy at school all day and won't have a lot of time to go to museums. My visit to the Louvre took place on Friday afternoon, after classes had ended for the day, which was a great time to go - the lines were not terribly long, it was not too crowded,  and some of the sections were almost empty! Though I spent four hours there, I only really saw one of the three sections, the Denon wing. The Denon wing is filled with Roman statues and Italian/French paintings, and after a few hours in there I never wanted to see another painting of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus ever again! (at least not until the next time I go to the Louvre, since I want to see it all!)
The first rooms I visited were filled with Roman statues from the second and third centuries. It is truly remarkable that they have survived so long in such perfect condition!

 This one below is probably my favourite. It depicts part of the story of Cupid and Psyche. Cupid's mother, Aphrodite, asks Psyche to go down to the underworld to fetch a flask from Persephone, but under no circumstances is Psyche to open the flask. Upon hearing this advice, does Psyche do the right thing and obey Aphrodite? Of course not! She opens the flask, breathes its magical fumes, and starts to die ... but at the last moment, her lover Cupid swoops down, kisses her, and pricks her with his magic arrow to bring her back to life. The statue is beautiful from the front, but if you go around to the back you can see further details, including Cupid's quiver and the magical flask hidden behind Psyche's form.

Next, I visited the rooms with German and Italian carvings from the 15th and 16th centuries. This one below is by Martin Hoffman. It is life-size and carved entirely out of limewood. There is something about it that I love - perhaps it is the sweetness of Mary's face, or the way that her clothing drapes over her as though it were real fabric instead of wood, or perhaps it is because the chubby baby Jesus in her arms reminds me quite a bit of a young Dudley Dursley from Harry Potter!

 This is another one I really liked. It is made out of painted wood, but it looks so realistic it's kind of scary! Her name is La Belle Florentine and she was carved and painted by Settignano.

 Next was the Italian paintings section - the one with the Mona Lisa! First, I walked by some beautiful frescos by Botticelli ...

 ... and then arrived at the Mona Lisa herself! I am no fan of the La Joconde, as they call her in France - her smile is rather creepy, the painting is tiny, and frankly, she looks exactly like all of the other people Leonardo da Vinci painted - but I did learn something new about the painting while I was there. Apparently the Mona Lisa is Lisa del Giocondo, and da Vinci was commissioned to paint her to celebrate the birth of a second son. And the reason for her mysterious smile? My audioguide informed me that she could be smiling because of her recent good fortune - in addition to the birth of a son, the family was also moving into a nicer house - or because of her last name. Giocondo, or Gioconda in the female form, means "cheerful." So, Leonardo da Vinci could have been referring to her last name when he painted the smile.