Paris is a city full of museums, and one of my favorites is the Musée d’Orsay.  While some may prefer the Louvre (and it is full of artistic treasures), my art preferences run toward the Impressionists found at the d’Orsay.  And, for the record, my other favorite Paris museum is the Musée Rodin.

Located in the 7th arrondissement (1 Legion of Honor), along the banks of the Seine, the museum is a former railway station.  It had a number of other “lives” before being turned into a museum that opened in 1986..  It’s soaring glass and iron roof make for a dramatic entrance, and scattered around the building are little touches reminding you of that former railway station.  Unlike the the Louvre, which is often dark, the d’Orsay is light, open, and inviting.

The Museum is probably best known for its Impressionists, although that collection only makes up about of third of the work you’ll find here.  There are a variety of ways to explore the collections – picking your favorites to see, viewing the art chronologically (lower floor, top, then middle), or just wandering to see what catches your eye and that you want to spend more time with.  I adopted a combination of choosing my must-see pieces and wandering.

Keep reading to learn what you’ll see

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One of my favorite places in Paris was the Pantheon, a neo-Classical church in the Latin Quarter.  It was modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, and topped with a dome similar to Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London.  Although it was originally an abbey, it now primarily serves as a burial place for many famous French heroes, leaders, artists, and writers.

This beautiful building was constructed as a result of a promise made by King Louis XV in 1744.  He was suffering from a serious and mysterious illness (later believed to be gout), and vowed that if he recovered he would construct a building worthy of the patron saint of Paris. 

He recovered, and construction of the Pantheon began in 1758 and was completed in 1789.  Many delays were related to lack of finances – a common reason for construction delays even today!

Since its completion coincided with the start of the French Revolution, the Revolutionary government order the building changed from a church to a mausoleum where the remains of great Frenchmen could be interred.  Although it has reverted to a church twice since then, today it is once again a mausoleum.

When I walked into the Pantheon it felt austere and cavernous.  I felt the need to use my “library voice.” 

It’s basically a cross-shaped building, with a domed center.  Around the walls are murals depicting religious and revolutionary figures (I particularly liked the series of Joan of Arc), as well at statuary and frescoes.

Continue reading for more information and photos!

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One of my favorite museums in Paris was the Musee Rodin in the First Arrondissement.

Surrounded by beautiful gardens, this collection of sculptures and other artwork was wonderful.

I took the photo of these hands, and don’t even recall what the sculpture was called.  For some reason, I found them compelling.

Join a group of other travel bloggers who are sharing photos today as part of Photo Friday.  I loved the travel photos, and think you will, too!

Photo credit:  personal collection

Location:  The interior pillars and a glimpse of art from inside the Pantheon in Paris.

There’s marvelous murals on the walls, all sorts of interesting frescos, niches, an cubbies, and some beautiful windows.  It was amazing to wander about, and every time you turned around there was something awe inspiring.

Photo credit:  personal collection

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Playing with photo editing software today – always a fun thing to do with travel photos.

I like making the Eiffel Tower even more artistic looking that it really is!

Photo credit:  personal collection

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I spent some time today at a blogging conference, and met up with fellow travel-blogger Pam from Nerds Eye View.  As is often the case when travel bloggers get to talking, the discussion soon turns to places we’ve been, places we’re going, and places we want to go.

Pam is a great photographer (click on her link above and go check out her stuff), and we also discussed how much photos added to the travel blog experience.

So today, I’m sharing a photo taken on my trip to Paris last fall. 

The photo was taken on a visit to the Louvre.  The statuary was in a garden atrium area of the museum, and is just one of hundreds of pieces on display.

I recently had the opportunity to watch some sculptors at work, and that has given me a new appreciation for the effort that went into these marble pieces of art.

Photo credit:  personal collection

I’ve been having lots of fun of fun playing with the new collage option of Picnik. 

Of course, I wanted to share my “masterpiece” with you.  These photos are from the Rodin Museum in Paris, and show a part of the museum and its grounds, as well as a few of Rodin’s marvelous sculptures.

Picnik is a web-based photo editing program that is easy to use and fun.  While it may not do the heavy lifting of some of the other photo editing programs, it’s easy to learn, is compatible with many online photo storage programs, and will occupy you times for hours as you try out all the fun features.

The basic Picnik program is free.  Picnik Premium, with lots of cool bells and whistles, including some advanced collage option, is $24.95/year.

I’ve had such a good time with it that I’d like you to be able to give it a try, so I’m offering one lucky reader a FREE year of Picnik Premium. 

To enter, leave a comment telling me what your first photo collage will be about.  Be brief, go into details, whatever you want to share.  Be sure to include your email address in the comment box or I won’t be able to contact you to tell you that you’ve won.

Contest deadline is Sunday, September 21st at midnight Pacific Time.  One entry per person.  I’ll randomly draw the name of the winner.

Good luck!  And good photo editing!

Photo credit:  personal collection

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Standing in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle (also called the Place de l’Étoile) at the western end of the Champs-Élyseés, the Arc de Triomphe is the largest triumphal arch in the world. 

It honors those who bravely fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars.  ,  Beneath the arch is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I, marked by the very first eternal flame.  The flame burns in memory of those who died, but were not identified, in both WWI and WWII.  An inscription reads “Here lies a French soldier who died for his fatherland 1914-1918” (translated here into English).

The arch stands about 165 feet tall, and measures about 148 feet wide, and around it is a roundabout that is one of the busiest in Paris.  Do not try to dodge in and out of this traffic!  That would be dangerous, and brand you as a serious nutcase.  While I watched, I saw many people tempted by it – but fortunately no one crazy enough to actually attempt it.

You can reach the arch sensibly by following the signs to the underground passage way that will take you beneath the crazy roundabout to the arch.  From there you can take a short elevator ride back to ground level or climb the stairs.  In the photo above you see me waving at you before heading to the passageway to cross over.

What will you see?  Keep reading to find out!

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Today’s matchbook of Bateaux Parisiens comes from Jon at Travel Photo Daily.  He said that he just came across it, but that is was at least five or more years old.  It brought back lots of great memories of my trip to Paris last fall, so a very big THANKS for the contribution.

Bateaux Parisiens is a cruise company that conducts sightseeing, lunch, and dinner cruises on the Seine, along with operating a river-boat shuttle called Batobus.

I opted for an evening sightseeing cruise, and for an hour we cruised the Seine while the hostess pointed out a number of attractions.  The commentary was pleasant and informative, and not filled with the typical puns and drivel that you so often get on tours.

Schedules vary, but details and information can easily be found in the city.  At the time I was there the sightseeing cruise operated every half hour until 10 pm, and cost €11.  It was easy to walk up and get a seat.  Reservations required, however, for lunch and dinner cruises.

Thanks for the contribution, Jon. 

Photo credit:  Jon Rochetti

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If the thought of a fine bag, a decadent pair of heels, or the feel of the fabric of a finely crafted suit makes you swoon, then an afternoon on the Champs-Élysées in Paris may be your definition of heaven.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées is not only one of the most recognized street names in Paris, but in the entire world, and is lined with luxury and specialty shops, theaters, cafes and restaurants.  Its name translates to “Elysian Fields” a refererence to the “place of the blessed” in Greek mythology.  With the prices you’ll see at most of these shops and cafes, you’ll need to be blessed, indeed, to make this your prime shopping district.

The street itself is a little over a mile and a quarter long (see photo at left), running from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe in the 9th arrondissement.  While its easy to get caught up in its current incarnation as the ultimate shopping location, originally, in the de Medici era, the area was a field and garden market.  It was also the location of the famous marches to celebrate the 1944 liberation of France, one march by the French and the other by American troops.  Today, the Champs-Élysées is home to the annual Bastille Day parade and is the end of the Tour de France. 

It seems like the Champs-Élysées is always full of people, day or night.  You’ll find people stopping off to shop at places like:  Drugstore Publicis (filled with so many upscale products that it seems a misnomer to refer to it as a “drug” store), Louis Vuitton (its largest store in the world), Virgin Megastore, Adidas (its largest store in the world), and Nike Paris, as exclusive stores co-exist with the growing presence of large chain stores. 

Above the street level stores, you’ll find offices, attracting still more people.  And, of course, day or night, patrons are flocking to the restaurants, cafes, and theaters.

I enjoyed wandering the street, stopping of at a few shops now and again.  Although the strength of the dollar was not on my side, I did manage to justify a purchase at Louis Vuitton, followed by lunch at cafe right in the heart of everything.  While lunching on the Champs-Élysées is quite expensive (some might say over-priced), I considered it both a meal and an opportunity to do some people watching as I whiled away a beautiful fall afternoon in Paris.

Photo credit:  personal collection

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