Today, we went to the Louvre museum located in the heart of Paris. The museum was much larger than I expected at around 72,000 square meters. It would have been impossible for us to see everything inside on just one visit, so we had to be quick to catch a quick glimpse of different pieces of art. Upon arrival, the first thing we found was the Winged Victory of Samothrace. This was one of my top two favorite exhibits that we saw. What stood out to me the most was the delicate detail on the actual wings of the sculpture. The wings almost looked life-like! The sculpture was created to honor the goddess, Nike, which is who the brand, Nike, is named after. Jeff, our guide, described to us the symbolism of victory behind the statue and name. It was created to honor Nike as well as a sea battle that occurred. This is why it has the draping clothing and feathered wings. It is incredible to think this was made by human hands. Afterwards, we headed straight to the Mona Lisa. It was so crowded, but we squeezed our way up to the front. I only found out on our way to the Louvre that is was painted on wood which makes it very unique to the many paintings done on canvas. Afterward, we saw all of the historical exhibits from our must-see list as well as some unique parts of the building. This included the medieval part of the Lourve which was the origins of the building with the underground section only remaining. My second favorite painting was Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People. I was most excited for this since I had studied Delacroix's art my freshman year of college. It was much larger than I expected, almost taking up the whole height of the wall. Delacroix was the catalyst in the romantic art period, and this painting demonstrates this with its emphasis on emotion, nature, and individualism. The painting makes Liberty the main focus using the sunlight behind her to illuminate her figure. I love that she represents both a strong human and beautiful goddess. These old paintings, sculptures, and artifacts truly inspired me to learn more about French history as well as different kinds of art. I would love to go back to the Louvre someday!