Bristish philosopher Betrand Russell once said, "The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." That pretty much sums up my Friday in Paris. I woke up late, lounged around, grabbed a coffee and a croissant and relaxed. Eventually the guilt set in and I forced myself to get out to check out a few more fun sites.
As you’re aware, the French have lost a lot of wars over the years yet somehow managed to end up with most of the world’s great artwork. Many of which are housed at the recently refurbished Musee d'Orsay. The Seine-side museum is best known for its extensive collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masteripieces (the largest in the world) by such painters as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Seurat, Gauguin, and Van Gogh.
Visiting the d’Orsay was like stepping into
the pages of an Art History book. Whether
it was Monet’s Haystack or Renoir’s The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette or
Van Gogh’s Self-portrait, everywhere you looked was a familiar piece of art
work that you’ve read about and heard of since you were a kid. On numerous occasions I said out loud, "Oh, I know that one." Perhaps
the greatest piece of art work is the d’Orsay building itself. It is housed in an impressive Beaux-Arts
classical style railway station built between 1898 and 1900.
The entire museum received major renovations in recent years and is now the
best museum in Paris in my opinion.
The Musee d'Orsay sits right on the Seine River in the heart of Paris.
The Musee d'Orsay building is just as much of an attraction as the numerous paintings inside its walls.
The arched roof gives a good sense of how the building was once a train station in the early 20th Century. It resembles several of the train stations that I've already visited in Europe such as in Glasgow and Milan.
It's like an all-star roster of artists.
Van Gogh's Haystack were on show...
...as was Renoir's The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette.
The Musee d'Orsay has dozens of Van Gogh's masterpieces including his Self-Portrait.
A view across the Seine River through the d'Orsay's clock tower.
Inside on the west wall still hangs the original clock from when the building was a train station at the end of the 1800s.
Berthillon street-side cafe. It has a full menu, but it's most famous for its homemade ice cream. It also doesn't hurt that it overlooks the Seine River and the Notre Dame Cathedral.
There were about a dozen flavor choices.
I went with three scoops - coffee, honey nougat, and hazelnut. Coffee was by far my favorite. I think it's so good because every bite packs a punch of flavor. Your taste buds light up with coffee or honey flavors or whatever it is.
Rue St-Louis-en-l'ile at sunset
The night was mellow. I met up with a new friend of mine named Beatriz for some wine at a local street-side cafe and enjoyed a relaxed night in Paris. It seems impossible to exaggerate the
importance of the little sidewalk cafe to Paris. They are to this French city
what beaches are to L.A. Every block has an open-air cafe, chairs facing the street and every day and night guests fill the chairs to watch the passerbys like it's a parade. The cafes
are like the parade stand. You just grab a table, order some beer or wine and
swallow it all up to your heart's content.
It was close to a full moon on Friday night.
Beatriz and I grabbed a table at one of the many nearby cafes, ordered some wine and enjoyed the evening.
A poor attempt at getting a shot in front of the Eiffel Tower at night.
Saturday is game day in Paris. I figured if I'm going to stay I need to keep the soccer theme going, so I got a couple tickets to the Paris-Saint Germain match vs. Sochaux.
Those aren't van Gogh's haystacks (it's a Monet).
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