my grand tour

once upon a time (around the 18th century to be precise), it was traditional among young men of means to embark on a tour of europe.  it served as an educational rite of passage during which they could hone their language skills, view artistic masterpieces, and mingle with fashionable european society.  it was, in a sense, their introduction to the world.  back then it was called the grand tour, but these days we like to refer to it as study abroad.  luckily for me, i picked majors (art history and romance languages) perfectly suited to a grand tour of my own.  like the grand tourists of the 18th century, i decided to study abroad to improve my language skills, see masterworks firsthand, meet new people, and experience different cultures.  it was common during a grand tour to commission a painter (like panini, above) to depict a scene visited on the tour to be displayed prominently in one's home upon one's return thereby showing off one's worldliness and making visitors jealous.  in lieu of that, i thought a blog would be a fun way to document my time abroad.  i plan to share photos, thoughts, and anecdotes about my adventures.  my first stop: paris!