Raining in Paris - Day 22

Song - Wish You Were Here by David Gilmour


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!

It was threatening to rain today so I figured that it would be a great day to spend indoors at the Musee d'Orsay but so did a thousand other people.......and this was the "no wait" line for those who already had a museum pass!

But once inside I was rewarded with beautiful art to warm my soul and stimulate my creative juices.....this is a detail from Le Pont d'Argenteuil by Monet.

Mary Cassatt's "Jeune femme cousant dans un jardin"....sigh....

And detail from Monet's "En norvegienne, dit aussi La Barque a Giverney".....enjoying the yummy colors in the sunshine!

Renoir's painting of "Jeune femme a la voilette".....just look at the softness of the veil covering her face.....

Close detail from Vincent Van Gogh's painting "Mademoiselle Gachet dans son jardin a Auvers-sur-Oise"

There is nothing like seeing the real deal - the colors and the brush strokes - there is energy here!

 "Les Roulettes, campement de bohemiens aux environs d 'Arles" also by Van Gogh

And beautiful detail from Edouard Vuillard's  "Le dejeuner en famille"

Garish and amazing quick gesture drawing by Toulouse-Lautrec painted on pieced canvases - once again you can just feel the energy radiating off the canvas.

And I will leave you with a sweet intimate moment in a detail from "Le bal de l'Opera" by Henri Gervex.

In the evening we dined at Le Recamier and enjoyed the best of souffles as well as fun waiters! Mr. B's first time there.....can you tell that he loved it?

"Art enables us to find ourselves 

and lose ourselves at the same time."  

--Thomas Merton

PS - My apologies for misquoting John Lennon on yesterdays quote: 
It should of read "Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars and the sun."
Corrected by my brilliant and sweet husband Mr. B!

Almost Normal

Song - I Love Paris by the Avalon Jazz Band

I just returned home from a month in France and I am almost back to normal from jet lag. Unfortunately I was unable to blog while traveling due to Google Blogger not allowing me to download my photos to my blog post.  

So now that I am home, I would love to share some of my trip with you......

The first 10 days I spent with two of my girlfriends who are long time friends - forty plus years.  And even though we don't spend a lot of time together in California, it's so easy to slip into a fun and comfortable relationship with each other. They are sisters and so incredibly funny and dear. They don't like to have their photo taken so this is probably the only view you will see of them!

 

Our first day in Paris was spent getting situated in our room, trying to get over our exhaustion and reorienting ourselves on the local streets. I had left my house at about 3 am to catch or flight out of San Francisco and in the process I left my Camera, toothbrush, travel binder & glasses at home - they happened to be sitting right next to my purse but......Mr. B mailed them to the hotel and saved the day!

Over the next couple of day we visited Notre Dame as it was raining. It is still standing and is still amazing.

We also visited Musee d'Orsay with the delight of small children!

I couldn't quite decide what time zone I was in so I covered all of my bases. Quiche Lorraine, salad, wine and Diet Coke!

Haystacks by Monet 

Detail from Haystacks - just look at all of those yummy colors in both his shadows and lights!

 

 

Petite Dancer by Degas 1881

Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe by Monet

On the evening of our second day we dined at Cafe Varenne which was recommended to us by several friends.  It was a great neighborhood café in the 7th with excellent food and a fun staff.  When it was time to leave we had two waiters and the Maitre d’ all outside helping us hail a cab!

.....and it was asparagus season!

"Traveling....

it leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller."

--Ibn Battuta

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