Museum-a-thon

Today was the first Sunday of the month, which means that a number of the museums in Paris were free! Natalie and I took advantage of the situation by meeting up this morning at the Musee d'Orsay. Hundreds of other people had this idea also, but that didn't detract from the fun! The museum is set up in a former train station and has a very open feel.



The permanent exhibit is a treasure trove of paintings by Degas, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Monet, and my personal favorite Odilon Redon. It is absolutely lovely. Also on display were some of the silhouettes from the Chat Noir theater. In addition to lovely art, the museum also has a terrace with a fabulous view of the city -- you can see Sacre Coeur in the distance! (And, as you know, I much prefer it at a distance.)



After the lovely Musee d'Orsay, Natalie and I headed over to the Musee Rodin. The sculpture is beautiful, but the museum itself provides stiff competition. It's set in an old house surrounded by a tranquil garden decorated with famous works such as The Thinker.



I would go back to this museum just to hang out in the garden again.

Our final stop of the day was the Musee Picasso. While the Rodin museum was very stately, the one dedicated to Picasso had a funhouse feel that imitated his painting style. When you walk in, you first see a mirror set up to hazily reflect half of the building. It was fascinating to see so much of Picasso's work all in one place, and to talk through room after room of human figures arranged in such strange ways. There was also a cool set of photos of Picasso himself as he worked on a painting in his boxers. Did he have a great job or what?



I have to say I am very impressed by Paris's museums, not only because of what they display, but because every museum is a full experience that includes the actual space you occupy while looking around.