After leaving the sadness of the Conciergerie, Rebecca and I got back on the Metro for a short ride to Musee D’Orsay, situated on the left bank of the Seine close to the river. This is an amazing museum, located in a 19th century train station built on monumental proportions. The open plan of the wide main hall, lined with statues, came as a nice contrast to the claustrophobia of the prison. The overall ambience of the museum lifted our spirits considerably.
We wandered down the Main Hall, enjoying the statues in the former rail concourse.
The huge clock on the wall was fascinating to see. I took way too many pictures of it. If you look closely, You can see the other side of the Seine.
Here’s a better view taken from the fifth floor. The church perched on top of the hill must be Sacre Couer in Montmartre.
Finally we got into a very small and crowded elevator and headed for the fifth floor to see the Impressionist paintings. The gallery was long and wide and contained dozens of paintings, many of the famous and easily recognizable. Of all the artists represented, my favorites were Monet (always #1) as well as Degas, Cezanne and Renoir. The light was dimmer than downstairs and my photos didn’t come out as well, so please excuse any fuzziness.
I really loved these two paintings: City Dance and Country Dance. The country couple do seem to be having more fun!
Country Dance and City Dance by Pierre Auguste Renoir
This was one of our longer days and we were exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel. I really do not recommend trying to see Paris in four days!
Linda
