Having lived in Paris for 6 months, you would think that I must have already visited at least a few museums. Nope. So I’m just going to put it out there. I am absolutely clueless when it comes to art. For me, tackling museums in Paris is a “must-do” but feels more of a chore than fun.

Well last night, this perspective changed thanks to my participation in Treasure Hunt at Musée d’Orsay – THATd’Or. This had been a private event hosted by AFMO’s Avant Garde and organized by Daisy de Plume, the founder of Treasure Hunt at the Louvre, more familiarly known as THATLou.

The rule of the hunt was actually simple albeit challenging. We were put into teams of 3-4 then given a map of the museum and a questionnaire which had 24 treasures with images and blocks of text giving insights into the actual work of arts. The goal is to see as many treasures as possible and prove it by filling in the date the art was acquired or who donated it.

Daisy built last night’s hunt on Motion and Movement theme so I mustn’t forget to mention some “bonus points” involved shamelessly demanding strangers to take our pictures while posing to resemble pieces of dancing arts.

What made this especially fun was how you couldn’t help become instinctively competitive. There’s this urge of wanting to race the others however there were A LOT of strict rulings: no running was allowed and your team must remain together at all times and not be more than 3 meters apart, oof! It was hard. I was panting by the time we had to return to checkpoint because we had gone up and down the 5 levels of the museum. Yet I was itching to go back up and around a bit more because my team didn’t manage to find all the treasures and you know what? I was furiously curious.

The team with the most points won tickets to the upcoming Easter treasure hunt at the Louvre. Alas my team didn’t win but still, I was left yearning to revisit the museum, complete the questionnaire AND to take my time looking at everything else which caught my attention during the hunt.

So has this experience changed my thoughts on museums? Yes! Did I have fun? Hells yes!

Not only did the hunt stimulate my artless soul, it also gave me more understanding of each treasure. It was also a great way to meet new people and realised I’m not the only clueless person in Paris.

I talked to Daisy during the post-hunt drinks and found her to be the most down-to-earth person you could ever imagine. Her humility was heart-warming and you couldn’t help but like her instantly. On top of that, she was extremely organised and I am grateful to be included in the program despite joining at the last minute.

Right now I’m busy stalking Daisy’s blog because I’m totally keen on participating in the next scheduled treasure hunt at the Louvre. If you can relate to me and are looking for more interesting way to visit museums, check out her site as well and see if it could be something for you.