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Published: June 19th 2008
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The Louvre
One of the world's largest and greatest museums We decided to focus on French Art and Sculpture in the
Louvre, and of course we wanted to get another glimpse at Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. To save Ellin’s feet for the rest of the week, we got a wheelchair (free) and that turned out to be a great idea. The security person opened the gate and allowed us to move up very close to this masterpiece.
A trip highlight was
le Musée d’ Orsay. Friends advised us to start at the top level (Impressionism and Post-Impressionism). We spent our whole time there. An indefinable experience. It is interesting to see what captures one’s eyes and heart. This time it was the peacefulness of the Pissarro’s, Manet’s sea, Sisley’s snow, Cezanne's blue-violet mountains, Degas’ floors (audio tape stated that he was one of the few who paid attention to floors), and the rich colour of Gauguin’s paintings when he lived in the South Pacific.
Cindy made it to the
Orangerie before the strike and saw in person Monet’s water lilies while Ellin took in rue Faubourg St-Honoré.
We missed the
National Museum of the Middle Ages (it’s been called the jewel of the Latin Quarter, originally the Cluny Museum) because there was a public
service strike and many museums were closed.
On that warm day, Ellin cooled off in the 15tn century Gothic church,
St. Séverin, where there are splendid evening concerts. Cindy was looking around the
Pantheon, but could not get in, again because of the strike.
Notre Dame Cathedral is beautiful from all angles. After sinking into the stained glass windows we were lucky to catch a choral group from Connecticut of all places.
Sainte Chapelle, a walk away was closed for several days due to the strike.
Le
Musée Rodin beckoned us late one afternoon, and we were able to spend some time in the gardens before it closed for the day. We lingered as long as we could, admiring some of his most famous works: The Gates of Hell, The Thinker, and The Burghers of Calais.
On our last full day, we took the RER train (Réseau Express National) to the colossal, over-the-top
Château de Versailles (with thousands of others lining up as well). To get a sense of the power and luxuriousness (decadence?) of Louis XIV’s court, it’s worth the hassle. The pièce de resistance is the Galerie des Glaces, the Hall of Mirrors. With 700 rooms and 900 hectares of elaborate gardens.
We got tickets for the palace and could see the gardens from the numerous windows.
Later on our Versailles day we managed to see
l'Hôtel des Invalides, built for wounded soldiers in the late 17th century. A crypt below the gold dome (the most splendid in France, according to some) houses Napoleon Bonaparte. His imposing tomb in red porphyry was designed by Visconti
Thanks to our many friends who suggested places to see while in Paris. We had an ambitious itinerary and managed to see many things. However, there are dozens of museums and churches left to see. On our list for the next trip are:
Musée Marmottan (the worlds’s largest Monet collection)
Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris Musée National du Moyen Age Musée Picasso Institut du Monde Arabe Panthéon Sacré-Coeur St Sulplice Sainte-Chapelle Église de la Madeleine For your convenience, we've included the links to the museums, in case you are going to Paris and want to check the days and times they are open. Do you have a favourite museum - a "must see" - please share it with us. What makes it special?
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non-member comment
Wow
I love the flying buttresses!