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Published: September 11th 2015
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During the three weeks between my arrival in Paris and the start of classes, although I tried not to be too obvious about it, I was inevitably a tourist in my new hometown. How could I not be? I now live only a short metro ride away (if that) from some of the greatest art collections and historical monuments the world over. Please join me on a journey to some old favorites and new discoveries, and pardon my less-than-stellar phone camera.
August 26th: Le Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay was a top-priority stop. The greatest collection of Impressionist art in the world, it is also one of my personal favorite museums. I have never made a trip to Paris without taking time to wander through the cavernous former train station. Perhaps dating from French Culture class junior year of high school, I always feel the most at home here, and that I am most familiar with the artwork. From Monet to Cézanne, from Degas to Van Gogh, from Renoir to Gaugin to Toulouse-Lautrec, it's like a parade of champions five stories high. The Musée d'Orsay is also home to my all-time favorite painting, William Bourguereau's
Dante and The iconic glass clock
also featured in my bedroom on a canvas Virgil (1850). One of the most boldly violent paintings in the museum, the depiction of a fight in the 8th circle of hell towers above my head. It is on the ground floor, on the right hand side off the center aisle. If you have the opportunity, go see it in person.
August 29th: Le Musée Rodin
Another old friend, the Musée Rodin is awesome because it contains a huge garden with Rodin's sculptures in large form scattered between the trees and fountains. The site is the Hôtel Biron, Rodin's former workshop. As I learned during this visit, from the helpful "history of the museum" placards with the dual usage of covering up the parts of the museum under restoration, at the end of his life, Rodin arranged to donate all of his works to the French government, provided that a museum be dedicated in his honor, and on that site. He received many famous visitors at the Hôtel Biron, including the one and only Isadora Duncan, mother of modern dance. Score one for dance! Unfortunately, the negotiations were stalled by the outbreak of World War I, and Rodin passed away before a final agreement was
reached. But everything worked out, and because the entire collection is state-owned, this is also the cheapest museum to visit in the city! 2 euros and you're good to go.
September 5th: Le Musée Picasso
This was my first time at the Musée Picasso, and first of all let me say that the floor plan of this museum is as confusing and convoluted as the cubist art it houses. The first floor was closed for the installation of an exhibit, which may have contributed to the organizational issues. Although I enjoyed wandering through all 4 floors of exhibitions, I definitely did not do it in the intended order. Having never seen so many Picasso works at once (or at all, really), the recurring themes became clear. At least every third painting was of a "nu" (nude), and the majority of the "nus" were actually "nues" (nude women). Well, Picasso, weren't you a pervy old man. Also intriguing were his works inspired by his wife and dancer in Serge Diaghilev's
Ballet Russes, Olga Khokhlova. Score two for dance!
September 7th: La Basilique du Sacré-Coeur
I originally went up to Montmartre to see the
Espace Dalí, my number one favorite place to go in Paris. However, just my luck, it was closed for the week as they brought in works for a temporary exhibit. Good thing I'll be here for a while. As I had already climbed the 8-ish flights of stairs to get to Montmartre, I was going to stay a while. After wandering the Carré des Artistes and getting hassled by a bunch of women with clipboards for "petitions for the disabled" (and when I asked to see the text of the petition to which I was signing my name, they suddenly no longer understood English or French and switched to asking for donations), I decided to head over to Sacré-Coeur. A gorgeous cathedral, Sacré-Coeur was supposed to impose Catholic morality on the saucy neighborhood of Montmartre, while simultaneously atoning for the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune. I don't know if those goals were ever achieved, but the Basilica is the highest point in Paris and provides a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. Of course, anyone can enter the church part for free, but to climb the 295 steps to the top of the Basilica (yes,
I counted), you have to pay 6 euros. Let me tell you, even if you only do it once in your life, TOTALLY WORTH IT. Both because of the view, and because I got a "GO BLUE!" while climbing the stairs from some Chicagoans. What they say is true: you can get a "GO BLUE!" in every major city in the world. Side note: bring a sharpie, or your keys. The inside of the Basilica is one of the many places in Paris that people like to "leave their mark." Generations of etchings overlap on every reachable surface. And yes, up there on the top of the city, I, too defaced a Catholic church and national landmark.
KH '15. And don't you forget it.
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