Paris Museums

Saturday I met Bryn for a breakfast of pastries near their hotel. The boys were taking too long to get ready so Bryn and I left for the Louvre. This museum is the most complex, intense, expansive and confusing museum ever. Just looking at the floor map is overwhelming!

We strolled through the Denon wing looking at paintings on our way to the Mona Lisa. The museum doesn't really treat this like the famous piece it is. The room was poorly lit but at least the painting was the only artwork on the wall. The glass protector created an annoying glare in my pictures. It was so crowded pushing my way to the front to get a picture that I didn't have time (or patience from all the people) to stop and really take the painting in.

Bryn and I wandered around for a couple hours, getting lost more than a couple time. The Egyptian exhibit was better than I expected. The Louvre also had more statues in one place than I'd ever seen.

By 1 pm we're starving and on the search for sandwiches. We walked from the Louvre to Orsay and thought we'd have no problem finding a place to eat. The cafes we first say were too pricey and we ended up walking for probably an hour trying to find a place with a menu in english, food we liked and prices we could afford. We settled on a cute cafe on the corner of a street. The waiter provided the speediest service I've had in Europe, the water came free and my chicken salad sandwich was fresh and delicious.

We went to Musee d'Orsay, which is another famous museum but has more contemporary art. I actually recognized some of the Van Goghs and Monet's. This was my favorite museum because it was open, easy to navigate and the art was more of my taste (less ancient).

We'd brought a Paris Museum Pass and in order to get our money's worth we hit up yet another museum. Our final stop was Centre Pompidou, which I really wanted to visit because it's description said it was recent artwork (I thought it'd be a nice change from seeing paintings that are 300 years old.) Bryn and I got incredibly lost trying to find the place and even after asking for directions, we started wondering aimlessly. We stopped for snacks and I got a crepe with nutella (chocolate and hazelnut). It was truly a perfect Parisian experience walking down the street on a Saturday afternoon eating a crepe. What a fabulous day!

A crowded gathered by a large building to watch a street entertainer. Bryn and I sat nearby to finish our snacks and watch...and what to we realize this big building that we've been walking by is but Centre Pompidou!

The description of this museum definitely failed to mention how alternative and different the works are. Bryn commented often how she didn't understand what differentiated this stuff as artwork from a ripped up sheet hung from the wall. For example, one room would have five paintings. The first canvas was completely blue and the last canvas white. The paintings in between were graduated shades between the two. Very simple. Very easy. Not sure why it was showcased.

The most interesting exhibit had to be the body painting. I wouldn't have understood the work had two videos not explained the process. In the 1960s, some artist had the idea to get naked women to glop themselves all over with blue paint and then lay or press their bodies against a wall, the floor...wherever the canvas happened to be. This video showed women pouring paint on themselves and carefully laying on the floor or leaning up against a wall and smushing their bodies to create print. Very odd but intriguing nonetheless.

Later that evening we grabbed food from vendors near their hotel. The boys went straight to the Eiffel Tower and the girls went to an outdoor cafe for dessert. Again, a very authentic French experience to eat creme brulee outside on a Saturday night. Afterwards we met up with the guys at the Eiffel Tower.