Au Revoir - Day 24 & 25

Song - Time to Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman

May 1, 2018

This post is taken from my French travel journal and my trip through Southern France in April 2018.  For some reason my iPad and Blog were not communicating at the time so I was unable to write any posts. At home I am able to blog "post" travel! Thanks for joining me on the journey!

 

Happy Labor Day - May Day

Le Fete de Muguet

The day to present a bouquet of Lily of the Valley to loved ones

Mr. B had never been to Parc de Bagatelle before so I thought today would be a good day to introduce them to each other!

 The peacocks were happy to greet us!

 But from 3 weeks ago when I last visited, a lot had changed.  The Yellow Lady Banks climber was in full bloom.

As were the white and lavender Wisteria!

Pink Peonies - hello darlin

 An arbor full of scented Clematis - breath deep

 We were still too early to see the rose garden in bloom but it was looking good.

 Fragrant Lilac's were everywhere....

 And upon returning to our hotel we were greeted with Muguets.......

After a quick rest we took a walk over to the Louvre and Tuileries. 

 Everyone was enjoying the rays of sun on this cloudy day.......

 The Roue de Paris is a giant Ferris Wheel at the Place de la Concorde.....

 Enjoying the gray sky and views from the Pont de la Concorde bridge over the Seine......

We didn't plan too well as it was a bank holiday and everywhere we wanted to dine on our last night was closed! Back to dinner at Cafe Louise as it was good and the waitress was so kind & fun. 




 May 2, 2018

Woke at 6 to finish packing, check out of the hotel and order an Uber to Charles de Gaulle Airport. We made it but without much time to spare as we forgot about the hour drive to the airport!  We were sitting near our gate at a small cafe when I spot two people we know from our home town. Our kids were on swim team together and it was so much fun getting caught up!
 

They were on our same Aer Lingus flight to Dublin then onto SFO.  We all just barely made the connecting flight!

Good to be home.  The garden is in full bloom and the roses are spectacular!

"One mustn't ask apple trees for oranges, 

France for sun, women for love, life for happiness." 

-- Gustave Flaubert

Learning to Fly - Part Cinq

Song - Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra

ART - It's everywhere you look in Paris

Look up, look down and look all around.

**Hint: purchase a 2, 4 or 6 day Museum Pass at a small museum and then you won’t have to wait in the queue at the larger museums with long lines.

Musse d’Orsay - 7th Arr. -  It was once a railroad station and now houses a stunning collection of Impressionist art. 1 Rue de la Legion d'Honneur

And be sure you take a leisurely break in their beautiful tea room.

 

Louvre - 2nd Arr. - A former historic palace - it is amazing but too overwhelmingly big for me but it is so worth seeing the Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa or take a walking tour to catch the highlights. Rue de Rivoli

Musee Rodin - 7th Arr. - Opened in 1917 by the sculptor Auguste Rodin, the museum includes a lot of his work in the Hotel Biron, a small rococo palace and its gardens are amazing as well. 77 Rue de Varenne

Petit Palais - Richly decorated 1900 building, housing eclectic fine arts dating from Renaissance to 20th century. They will be having a temporary exhibition 'Dutch artists in Paris, 1789-1914' through May 13th - Avenue Winston Churchill

Musee de l’Orangerie

Museum with 20th-century European art collection, showcasing 8 of Monet's water lilies murals.

Jardin Tuileries

 Musee Carnavalet - 3rd Arr. -  Museum in neighboring mansions with Paris art & history exhibits focused on 16th & 17th centuries. Opened in 1880, the Carnavalet Museum features all types of art work, and through these it narrates the history of Paris from its foundation to the present day.

16 Rue des Francs Bourgeois

Musée Eugène Delacroix – 6^th Arr. - Sketches & paintings by enigmatic artist Delacroix, displayed in his house, studio & small museum. 6 Rue Furstenberg

Musee de Cluny - 5th Arr. - Turreted Gothic mansion housing vast collection of medieval arts, crafts & tapestries. 6 Place Paul Painleve

Musée Marmottan Monet - 16th Arr. - Art museum with a significant collection of work by Claude Monet, and other Impressionists. 2 Rue Louis Boilly

Musee Jacquemart-André  - 8th Arr. - A private museum that has occasional important showings.  Check first. They are having a exhibit of Mary Cassatt's work through July 23. 158 Boulevard Haussmann

"I really believe if you practiced enough 

you could paint the 'Mona Lisa' with a two-inch brush" 

-- Bob Ross 

Louvre Window

While walking down the staircase at the Louvre today, I spotted this beautiful window. I was thinking about all of the artisans it took to create such a masterpiece.



“But tomorrow, dawn will come the way I picture her,
barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window
in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poor.
She will look in at me with her thin arms extended,
offering a handful of birdsong and a small cup of light.” --William Collins

The Louvre

What an incredible experience the Louvre is. So much to see that it's overwhelming to me at times. But today I had all day to take in her beauty. I was able to slow down so the hoards of people didn't get to me. I covered the entire 2nd floor then stopped in Angelique's cafe for a late lunch. This is a photo of The Bather, known as the Valpinçon Bather by Ingres and is amazingly beautiful.



"One must keep right on drawing; draw with your eyes when you cannot draw with a pencil." -- Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Painting Detail

I love the painting detail of this woman's gloves, jewels and lace. I'm normally not into realistic painting but I do appreciate the talent! This was only a small portion of a very large painting.

"Keep good company - that is, go to the Louvre." --Paul Cezanne