Paris Day Three

The third day in Paris was started at the Louvre. We got there plenty early to avoid lines, and our Paris Museum passes allowed us to be about the 20th person into the Meseum. This was great. We followed the Rick Steve's Ipod tour and were able to complete the museum in a matter of 3 hours. We didn't see everything, but were able to see the big hits including Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and of course the Mona Lisa. The lines to see the Mona Lisa were not that bad, and I was actually able to get a picture of it without being hassled by a guard.

After the Louvre we headed throught the Jardin des Tuileries, and grabbed a coffee and some crepes at a cafe around the great basin in the middle of the gardens. These gardens were definately less impressive than those at Versailles.

From here we walked to the far end of the Gardens to the Orangerie. We had to wait for a quick minute until they opened at 11:30 and went in to see the famous Nymphéas. These are the actual completed works. All of the other Nymphéas paintings that you can see at other museums are apparently studies for this series in the Orangerie. The biggest of the paintings is several canvases that were stitched together and stand 5.5' high and stretch 55' in length. Absolutely amazing.

After the Orangerie, we walked over to the Musee d'Orsay which is located in an Old Train station. The museum is quite amazing, and once again we took a Rick Steves Ipod tour around to see everything. Great works from Van Gogh, Monet, Rodin, Picasso and many others. This museum picks up where the Louvre takes off, and ends in the early 1900s with the start of modern art.

We then took bus 69 towards home and stopped at the Rodin Museum on the way. It was quite interesting, and included the famous Thinker statue. I also like the Gates of Hell statue based off of Dante's Inferno. The thinker was actually a study for this piece and is found overlooking the gates.

A very busy day in Paris, and quite enjoyable.