May 17th,
2014 , Saturday: Sacre Coeur, Musee d’orsay, Musee de
l’Orangerie, Tuilleries, Rodin museum, Invalides, Nissim Camondo Museum.
DAY 2 a: Sacre Coeur, Musee d’orsay, Musee de l’Orangerie
is the video which contains activities of our day 2.
This post covers Sacre Coeur, Musee d’orsay, Musee de
l’Orangerie, Tuilleries and the next one will cover the rest of the day.
Woke up by 5.30 AM, excited about the long day ahead of us.
We had the museum pass and were not concerned about the free
part but were happy about the extra time.
Sacre Coeur:
Since our hotel is in the Montemartre area, decided to
start the day with Sacre Coeur. It opens at 6 am
and so does the funicular. We took the metro from Blanche and got down at Anvers —got
to the foot of the hill by 8am … the
serene white edifice towered over the landscape and it was an ethereal moment.
Needless to say, no other tourist in sight.
An interesting tidbit—the
travertine stone used for building the cathedral exudes calcite—that’s why the
exterior is so white, not affected by pollution.
Went towards the funicular and tried to use our used metro
ticket as we had read it’ll work for the funicular as well. But it didn’t and
the girl at the counter told us to use a new one. We got into the cable car
with a couple of locals and went up.
Entered the basilica and a mass was on… soul stirring music added to the beauty as we admired the mosaic ceiling. I had been a little annoyed that we had not started the day earlier but the pleasure of being a part of the lovely mass was so worth it.
Dome (83m high)... The apse mosaic, (1922) depicts Christ in Majesty and The Sacred Heart worshiped by the Virgin Mary, Joan of Arc and St. Michael the Archangel....
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| On the funicular |
Entered the basilica and a mass was on… soul stirring music added to the beauty as we admired the mosaic ceiling. I had been a little annoyed that we had not started the day earlier but the pleasure of being a part of the lovely mass was so worth it.
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| The altar... Light from stained glass windows coloring hair and t-shirt...ha..ha.. |
The site of this 19th-century basilica is associated with
the beheading of the city's patron, Saint Denis, in the 3rd century.
According to legend, after he was martyred, Bishop Denis picked up his severed head and carried it several miles to the north, where the suburb ofSaint-Denis
stands today....
According to legend, after he was martyred, Bishop Denis picked up his severed head and carried it several miles to the north, where the suburb of
The triple-arched portico is surmounted by two bronze
equestrian statues of France 's
national saints, Joan of Arc and King Saint Louis IX
Main portal with great bronze doors are copies of those
of the famous Baptistry in Florence
Side altar with St Peter holding the key to Pearly Gates...His feet have a shine because of being constantly touched/kissed by devotees...
Took some discrete pics and walked down to the rampart to admire the awesome view of the entire city sprawled under.
Then we walked
towards metro station Abbyss passing through souvenir shops just opening up.
Took the metro to Assemblee Nationale and walked to Musee
d’orsay.
Musee d’orsay:
With our museum pass went in without a wait, checked in our day pack bags at the cloak room.
The museum is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a
Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900.... Gare d'Orsay
was the terminus for the railways of southwestern France
until 1939.
By 1939 the station's short platforms had become unsuitable for the longer trains.
In 1970, permission was granted to demolish the station
Instead it was turned to a museum creating 20,000 sq. m. of new floorspace on four floors to install 2000 paintings, 600 sculptures by 1986!
By 1939 the station's short platforms had become unsuitable for the longer trains.
In 1970, permission was granted to demolish the station
Instead it was turned to a museum creating 20,000 sq. m. of new floorspace on four floors to install 2000 paintings, 600 sculptures by 1986!
We had a quick look
at the open court sculpture gallery
A small-scale model of the Statue of Liberty by Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) has been placed right at the start of the
grand central aisle on the ground floor...
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| 3m high Statue of Liberty; original in the US is 46m high! |
The original 46 m high Statue of Liberty installed in 1886 at the entrance to
In 1865, the academician Laboulaye first put forward the idea of
This gesture also sent a message of opposition to the imperial regime of Napoleon III and to his foreign policy
This version, 3 meters high, was exhibited in 1900 at the Universal Exhibition in
We went straight to the Van Gogh special exhibition.
It was crowded but the people moved in an orderly manner and we could gaze at
the master pieces to our heart’s content.
Did not really like the focus on the suicide aspect but were
thrilled to see so many Van Gogh pieces from all over the world—the Amsterdam
museum for example.
All the self portraits were in chronological order and there
were some English explanations as well—fair curating attempt. We bought a Starry
nights souvenir and then went onward to the other galleries.
Impressionist paintings galore and we had a fill of
Monet’s landscapes with his wife and her friends carrying parasols… https://tinyurl.com/lvo4x4u
Renior’s portraits of young girls, Degas ballet girls
...
No pics allowed in 2014.
In 2015, they have started allowing pics without flash – a
minister had taken some pics and posted on social media site and it had created
a public uproar as to why she had special privileges. So the museum has started
allowing pics by all visitors!
The website is a little convoluted. Wish I can get to have a
relook at the awesome galleries we saw and admired!
Link gives a small replica of some of the pictures and info
and you can zoom into the pic to enlarge it!
Just now found the index and got a link to all of Monet’s
masterpieces… yippee! https://tinyurl.com/5c5blo
Lets us enjoy 88 Monet’s!
Our bags with packed picnic lunch and snacks had been
checked in and so we went to a cafeteria and after a wait of a few minutes
approached the counter and gave an order for croissants, chocolate muffins and
hot chocolates. Collected our trays and sat on high stools. The croissants were
light and flaky, the muffin melted in the mouth and the hot chocolate was
creamy and divine… DID NOT expect this at a museum café! Guess it’s PARIS
magic!
We attacked the other galleries with renewed passion, took
pics of the famous clock.
Admired the view of Sacre Coeur from its dial
and then went to the terrace.
Seine flowed quietly, boats filled to the brim with people floated by.
We exited the museum. The square is full of lovely statues.
Statues in this square of the museum were made for the third Paris World's Fair, ( Exposition Universelle), held in 1878 to celebrate the recovery of France after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.
Walked through the Tuilleries ...
Sat in the Tuilleries and had our picnic lunch.
Admired the view of Sacre Coeur from its dial
and then went to the terrace.
Statues in this square of the museum were made for the third Paris World's Fair, ( Exposition Universelle), held in 1878 to celebrate the recovery of France after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.
LOVE LOCKS:
Got out, crossed Passerelle Solferino with its hideous love locks—thought it was the infamous bridge Pont des arts but I guess the lock menace has pervaded everywhere.
Some people find it romantic to engrave their names on a lock, fix it over a bridge and throw away the key... they think their love will be locked in for ever… There are some guide books and even the city of Paris site itself promoting the love lock culture as romantic and there are pedlars selling them right on the bridge
The love locks look positively hideous, as they rust away... the panels fall off with the weight...so it’s really VANDALISM.
Walked through the Tuilleries ...
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| Braving a lion's bite! |
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| With a more sedate lion! |
The Eiffel tower stood a silent witness in the distant
background and birdies chirped all around –
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Rodin’s lovers were locked in an eternal kiss, in all their patina bronze glory, right near us!
\
Rodin’s lovers were locked in an eternal kiss, in all their patina bronze glory, right near us!
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| Rodin's lovers locked in a Kiss |
Musee de l’Orangerie
Walked to Musee de l’Orangerie—entered the highly acclaimed oval rooms with Monet’s Nymphéas bleus. WOW! Violins serenaded, a cool, gentle breeze caressed and calm peace descended! What an impact! We sat on the benches gazing awestruck, then moved from one end of hall to another… at strategic places, we could see the flowers swaying and the water rippling! Epiphanic!
Again no pics but the lilies are imprinted in our memory!
This Walter-Guillaume Collection on the lower level of the museum is a wonderful bonus. .. Paul Guillaume was an important patron of the arts in Paris , and the museum includes these fascinating miniature dioramas of his study and collection....
This diorama shows a model of the study of Paul & Domenica Guillaume and the museum houses their collection.
The collection includes works by Renoir, Picasso, Modigliani, Marie Laurencin, Cezanne, Matisse, Rousseau, and other Impressionists and post-Impressionists up to about 1930.
The story of the collection is equally fascinating.
Paul Guillaume was a young man of modest means working in an auto garage when he found some African sculptures in a delivery of rubber.
His display of them brought him to the attention of the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who in turn introduced him to many of the artists of the day—Pablo Picasso, Marie Laurencin and others.
Paul Guillaume was a young man of modest means working in an auto garage when he found some African sculptures in a delivery of rubber.
His display of them brought him to the attention of the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who in turn introduced him to many of the artists of the day—Pablo Picasso, Marie Laurencin and others.
At Paul's death he asked that his collection be made public.
His widow Domenica, by then remarried to wealthy businessman and architect Jean Walter, insisted on including the names of both her husbands.
Domenica was a colorful character who after Paul's death adopted a son and was later accused of Paul's murder.
Some speculate that the murder charge was dropped in exchange for her donating the collection to the state.
His widow Domenica, by then remarried to wealthy businessman and architect Jean Walter, insisted on including the names of both her husbands.
Domenica was a colorful character who after Paul's death adopted a son and was later accused of Paul's murder.
Some speculate that the murder charge was dropped in exchange for her donating the collection to the state.
You can see, on the wall, miniature recreations of some of
the paintings in the museum!
We walked out. Could see the obelisk, in Place de la
Concorde, reminding of the guillotine it had replaced in the very spot!
Place de la Concorde...
During the French Revolution the statue of Louis XV of
The new revolutionary government erected the guillotine in the square, and King Louis XVI was executed here on
Queen Marie Antoinette was also guillotined on this site
In 1795, the square was renamed Place de la Concorde as a gesture of reconciliation after the turmoil of the French Revolution
The guillotine was replaced by this 3,300-year-old obelisk.
The center of the Place de la Concorde is occupied by this
giant Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the
pharaoh Ramesses II.
The obelisk once marked the entrance to theLuxor
Temple
The Ottoman viceroy ofEgypt ,
Mehmet Ali, offered the 3,300-year-old Luxor Obelisk to France
in 1829.
It arrived inParis in 1833.
Three years later, in 836, King Louis Philippe had it placed in the center of Place de la Concorde
It is one of two the Egyptian government gave to the French in the 19th century.
The other one stayed inEgypt ,
too difficult and heavy to move to France
with the technology at that time.
In the 1990s, President François Mitterrand gave the second obelisk back to the Egyptians.
The obelisk once marked the entrance to the
The Ottoman viceroy of
It arrived in
Three years later, in 836, King Louis Philippe had it placed in the center of Place de la Concorde
It is one of two the Egyptian government gave to the French in the 19th century.
The other one stayed in
In the 1990s, President François Mitterrand gave the second obelisk back to the Egyptians.
What history and what beauty all in one place!
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/04/paris-trip-report-day-2-b-invalides.html
continues the report of our Day 2
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/04/paris-trip-report-day-2-b-invalides.html
continues the report of our Day 2
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