This morning we visited the D'Orsay Museum which is located in a former train station on the bank of the Seine River. The museum has an enormous collection of 19th century and early 20th century art.
We concentrated on the galleries of Impressionist art. Room after room were filled with paintings by masters such as Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, and Manet. Many of the paintings are famous canvases that I have seen reproduced in art books. It was a thrill to see the original works. One artist with whom I was not well acquainted was Alfred Sisley. I found his landscapes to be among my favorites in the museum.
Monet
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Renoir
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Sisley
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In the afernoon I had the pleasure of getting together with my dear friends Katie and Olivier and their children. Katie is a high school French teacher who used to be one of my colleagues. Her husband Oliver was born in France. They are in France on vacation, and were in Paris today before traveling to southern France where Olivier's grandmother and parents live. We met at the lovely Luxembourg Gardens, and had a great lunch at a creperie in the park. It was a wonderful to be with Ohio friends in Paris!
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Tomorrow Phyllis flies home to the United States, and I continue on to London for the final segment of my European adventure.
Au revoir, Paris.
I'll be really interested in your impressions of London, especially in context with these much more romantic countries. I haven't been there in years, but I heard there's a pub crisis -- they're closing down left and right. What's the point in having an England if there aren't pubs serving cheese and pickle sandwiches?
ReplyDeleteI just got settled into London... actually, the suburb where my cousins live. As my cousin drove me to my hotel, we passed through the downtown area, and I asked if there were any good pubs. He pointed out one, but said it wasn't very good, and that it can get a bit rowdy. So, I guess I won't be regularly eating in pubs. (I like pub food, but I must admit that I never heard of cheese and pickle sandwiches!)
DeleteMy previous trip to England was spend mainly in smaller cities like Bath, the Cotswolds and my ancestral villages. This will be my first extended stay in Greater London.
Enjoy London. London to me says "theater". I saw Les Miz and Phantom there in Her Majesty's Theater. Oh my what a glorious memory.
ReplyDeleteI too prefer the countryside. If we ever meet, which I think we will, I'll tell you about my experience driving through Wales and the pubs there! Woo hoo.
I don't know if I will get to any theater performances, but I definitely plan on museums... the British Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. They are all free, and the will be great for rainy days. (Although today was warm and sunny!)
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