d'Orsay Museum

Even though some of us sleep in some mornings; we always seem to be out the door after breakfast in the apartment by 10:30 am.    The sun was shining but it was still cold enough for jackets!  We were in our sandals sans socks and got some unusual looks from the Parisians that are dressed for fall.  

The Metro took us to the d’Orsay Museum and we scooted around to the back door for the Museum Pass Entry; by passing the long lines at the front door!   

This is the last day of our Pass…we’ll miss the ease by which we enter the museums!   I did figure out the savings; we purchased a six-day pass for 69 euros each.  I totaled up the various entrance fees where we have used the pass and with two entrances into the Louvre we would have spent 105 euros each…and that was only counting one trip to Versailles.  As you can see; a real savings plus having the privilege of using the Priority Entrance instead of the long ticket lines.

We spent two hours at the d’Orsay; spending most of our time on the fifth floor enjoying the French Impressionist paintings.  The clock tower is always fun for photos.  Rules will not allow photos in the exhibit halls so you’ll have to take my word for the fact that it was a joy to view these masterpieces

again.  Bonnie and Jane stayed another hour at the Museum and Mary and I started walking from the Museum to the bridge that has our lock; the Pont de Arts walking bridge.  It was a cold wind that we braved to look through all the piles of locks in the area we remember putting our lock last April.  Mary had brought copies of my photos to help us located the lock.  We did find the right area but was unable to actually hold our lock in hand.  Maybe I’ll be able to find it at Christmas!

We continued walking all the way along the Seine River to Notre Dame; a long walk for Mary who is suffering from pain on the top of her foot where the cart rolled over her foot while she was asleep on the airplane on the trip over.  Yes, she was partly to blame as her foot was in the aisle.  But, she was limping by the time we arrived at the Crypte Archeologique Musee near Notre Dame.   In the 1960’s they excavated the area in front of the Cathedral for an underground parking garage.  During the excavation they salvaged the historical finds and created a Museum.   It was extremely interesting.

Mary and I headed back to the apartment; slowly, visiting the cat Issy at our hotel in 2010 and 2012.  Stopping to look at all the souvenir shops along the way.  We also stopped at Shakespeare and Company and found the beds tucked into alcoves in the upstairs for starving writers to use!  We were home by 5:00 pm and enjoyed an early dinner in the apartment.

Bonnie and Jane continued to enjoy the Crypte Museum and then explored the Cite and Ile St. Louis on their own; learning all about navigating the streets of Paris without Martha.   It was after 7 pm before they returned to the apartment and then left again for dinner in a nearby restaurant.

Tomorrow we move to our new apartment.  Rain is predicted so it will be interested.  Hope you enjoy the slideshow, it’s very small tonight! 

Rodin Museum

Mary took half the day off and rested and caught up on her blogs; Jane, Bonnie and I headed back to Versailles by train to tour the Chateau that we’d missed on our Sunday visit.  Mary had seen it with me on our trip in 2009 and felt the rest was more important.  She is supposed to be taking a day off each week because of her physical limitations. 

We arrived about 10 am and the line to enter Versailles was a piece of cake compared to last Sunday; but once inside it was a different story.  The rooms were like cans of sardines!  We lost each other and didn’t actually find everyone until we were nearly finished.  Fortunately we were all smart enough to keep moving with the crowds as we were all going the same way.  Weather wise; it was a dry but very cold day.  I actually wore socks with my sandals for the first time on the trip!  A pair of gloves would have been nice but I didn’t bring any with me!   It was about fifty degrees.

By 2 pm we were headed back to the train station; Bonnie treated us to sandwiches and coffee at Starbucks and we enjoyed lunch on the train home.  Called Mary and she met us at the Metro Station where we needed to change Metros for our next visit.

Arrived at Rodin Museum about 3:30 pm.  Enjoyed seeing the wonderful sculptures again; especially the Burghers of Calais; The Kiss; The Thinker and of course my personal favorite “The Cathedrale” formed by two hands. 

Back on the Metro for our next adventure:  Sainte Chapelle near Notre Dame.  We arrived about 5:00 pm and enjoyed the last rays of the day that streamed through the tall stained glass windows in the upper chapel.  Jane and Bonnie were astonished and agreed they want to come back tomorrow if possible to see it with more light!  It takes your breath away the first time you walk into the room after climbing up the narrow old marble steps from the chapel below. 

By the time we left it was nearly 6:00 pm and everything was closing for the day.  We walked over to Notre Dame and they were still allowing visitors during the Vesper Services.  By 6:30 they were moving everyone towards the doors as the church was also closing.  Out into the dusk and our first raindrops of the day.  We walked across the Seine River and stopped at Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore to check on the event scheduled for Sunday Evening.  Sounds good and we may attend.  We continued to walk to the Metro Station of St. Michel for our final journey home for the day.

Dinner was at the apartment; Bonnie and I picked up some food at the Monoprix after stopping at the Pharmacy for some purchases while Mary and Jane heated the leftovers from last night to go with the new food.  We ended up walking after dinner to find an ATM in the neighborhood and have been talking to husbands and writing blogs after downloading the photos ever since we arrived home.

Hope you enjoy the slideshow: 

Walking the Champs Elysees

We again left the apartment about 11:30 am; seems like no matter what time we get up … we leave about the same time every day for our adventure.   Today…rain predicted…we took the Metro to Arc de Triomphe for our climb to the top and fantastic views of the city of Paris.  One can see nearly all of the city within the peripherique:  the ring road around the city proper.

The skies were blue and lots of white fluffy clouds when we climbed the 285 steps to the top.  The old elevator is not working we were told; even for old people!   Before we descended the 285 steps the strong wind had blown a storm over our heads that started to drop buckets of raindrops!  By the time we stopped at the gift shop and descended the 285 steps; the sun was shining again!

This was the pattern of the day; brief rainstorms that went as fast as they arrived.  We only ended up walking for a short distance with umbrellas; so short we never took off the sunglasses!

We decided to chance the rainstorms and walk the Champs Elysees from the Arc down to the Tulleries.  Along the way we stopped to check out many of the shops from Cartier, Peugeot, BMW, and best of all the Galerie Arcades Des Champs Elysees where they have a Starbucks under the baroque ceilings!  There we sat a spell and enjoyed Carmel Machiato Coffee and some English Scones while resting our feet and feasted our eyes on the wonderful and very unusual setting for a Starbucks!   An added surprise was the bride in her bridal gown standing in line for a coffee! 

We continued our walk and at the Peugeot Dealership, Bonnie took photos of the concept sports car and Mary purchased a car for her husband Phil; a tiny one, but all the same…a car.

Soon we were under umbrellas near the end of our walk as we rushed across the Place de Concorde taking photos of the three thousand three hundred year old Obelisk of Luxor.  The rain slowed as we approached the L’Orangerie Musee.  The line was long but with our Museum Pass we walked past all of them and entered immediately at the front of the line.  A real plus for purchasing the pass.

We enjoyed the water lilies of Monet and then the additional art gallery on the bottom floor.  Soon is was nearly 6 pm and we were headed home on the Metro.  A fast stop at the Monoprix for some hot food and groceries; then home for a delicious dinner in the apartment and a trip to the Laundromat for some clean clothes. 

Enjoyed our evening in the apartment before heading for bed about 11 pm.  Hope you enjoy the slideshow!