Paris, Part III

For those still reading, allow me to present Part III of our Paris sojourn:

We adored the Rodin Museum (you have to go), housed in a beautiful chateau.

The space is light-filled, airy and magical (the sculptures aren't bad either):

Pedestals elevate smaller sculptures which might otherwise be missed...

Many famous sculptures are housed here, including The Cathedral (which has two right hands):

Seated Venus (casually relaxing without her head):

Moi, overlooking the grounds. 

The Eiffel Tower.  A great time to visit the Eiffel Tower is at the end of the day.  We showed up around 6 pm (the wait is shorter and you get to watch the sunset, which is very romantic and good for photography!)

Amazing views (see what I mean about the evening light):

Sacre-Coeur (Montmartre) in the far distance:

The next day we visited the Tuileries Gardens (with the Louvre in the background) just as it started to rain.  People scattered, so I got some nearly people-free shots (which is very rare in Paris):

On sunny days, these chairs are filled with Parisians and tourists:

From the looks of the flower gardens, apparently it is still summer in Paris.  I definitely live in the wrong city...

Then we visited Musee de l'Orangerie in the Tuileries Gardens.  This classical building houses Monet's famous water lily murals (les Nymphaes), in addition to many lovely paintings by Monet's contemporaries (which are worth the trip alone). 

 It was my first time here and I loved it (add it to your list)!

Photography is strictly forbidden inside the dreamy oval galleries, but I sneaked one just for you.  The two rooms have skylights and are lined with murals, giving them an underwater feel:

A group of French school children receiving an art lecture (poor deprived little souls).

Later in the week, we briefly visited the Maison Victor Hugo, inside the Place des Vosges.  He lived here after writing The Hunchback of Notre Dame but before writing Les Miserables:

His writing desk, with four inkwells. He also had a tall desk where he wrote standing.

Views from his writing desk (I could easily be inspired here):

Paris parking (not so polite):

We also visited the Musee Carnavalet, which houses a varied collection covering the history of Paris!  I was most enchanted with the furniture rooms, displaying pieces from the reigns of the various Kings Louis:

Furniture experts will see evidence of Louis XV here

The Musee Carnavalet is huge and tiring.  If you have limited time, you must visit the art galleries which feature room after room of utterly stunning paintings depicting Paris in the 1800's.  Most of this art precedes Impressionism.  The artists are not famous but the art is exquisite:

A painting by Victor Dargaud of the Statue of Liberty, being constructed in a Parisian workyard before being dismantled and shipped to New York

I must confess, I am not yet done describing our Paris journey, so there will be another post or two in this series!  I hope you'll not be too bored when I'm through with you...

Soon, Terri