Today after work I took the metro to the Office of Tourism to buy a museum pass for my dad. He doesn't get here til the beginning of July but you can activate it whenever you want, so I figured I may as well do it on a nice day when I had time. I also bought myself a ticket for the Musée de l'Orangerie since my mom and I constantly saw an hour long wait there if you didn't have your tickets in advance. I was starving so I stopped by a nice café/restaurant called Angelina, founded in 1903, just to the north of the Tuileries gardens. My boss recommended it for their pastries and hot chocolate. So I went for the hot chocolate and a tomato and mozzarella salad. I was so full from just that (the hot chocolate is not cut down, its pure delicious chocolate) I didn't have any room for dessert. So I'll have to go back for some pastries. They had GORGEOUS pastries!
After lunch I went to the l'Orangerie where, of course, there were only about 20 people in the main line (2 in the line for advance tickets). When my mom and I would go there were easily over 100 people in line. So, of course, the day I buy my ticket in advance, there is barely a line. Either way, I made it in and went to check out the Monet exhibit first. Eight HUGE mural paintings of his Japanese water garden, des Nymphéas. These range from about 15-20 feet in length to just over 40 feet. They are in two oval rooms with shaded skylights for a natural, though not direct light source. I decided to try out my panoramic photo option on my iPhone for the first time. Though a couple are just from a corner angle, but because the walls are oval, it looks distorted.
Downstairs from the water lilies were a few exhibits featuring works of Cézanne, Gaughin, Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Modigliani as well as others.
There was also a temporary exhibit called Apollinaire: The Vision of the Poet. This was a man who "proved to be a key player in the aesthetic revolution, which paved the way for modern art in France." (Taken from the exhibit brochure). This exhibit houses works collected by his friend Paul Guillaume, an artist who he introduced into avant-garde circles. He was also friends with Picasso because there were a number of Picasso works in here, as well as a Chagall at the very end, representing Adam and Eve. Oh, also no photography was allowed in this exhibit, so excuse the weird angles or blurriness.
After this I walked north to head back to the main metro at the Opéra. The route I took brought me through the Place Vendome where all the ritzy hotels and fancy stores are located. My Uncle Kim told me that the Ritz Hotel is worth checking out, just to see the splendor of the building. There were 2 guards and about 6 lobby "boys" (they were grown men) standing before the entrance. So I gave them all a smile and walked in with purpose. It worked. Took a few pictures while pretending to look for a person and be on my phone. They had a really cool, old-looking map of Paris that was taller than me. Then I walked out, thanking them. It's amazing how far confidence can get you.
After this I got to the metro station at the Opéra and decided that I had the time so I should go in and check it out. This is where the Phantom of the Opera was...though I never actually saw it. It's on my to-watch list now. But it was a gorgeous old building. You can't get into all the areas and if you are self-guided, like me, then the part of the actual theater is limited to the one tier. The guided tours get to be down in the Orchestra section. Nevertheless I got a pretty awesome panoramic from leaning over the balcony. Also, from the east side looking out the window, I could see the Sacré Coeur gleaming on the hillside.
Well that's it for today. Tomorrow I might do some scouting of restaurants for my birthday dinner when my dad's here. I have a few picked out but I'll walk by them and see if I like the atmosphere too. Toodles!
After lunch I went to the l'Orangerie where, of course, there were only about 20 people in the main line (2 in the line for advance tickets). When my mom and I would go there were easily over 100 people in line. So, of course, the day I buy my ticket in advance, there is barely a line. Either way, I made it in and went to check out the Monet exhibit first. Eight HUGE mural paintings of his Japanese water garden, des Nymphéas. These range from about 15-20 feet in length to just over 40 feet. They are in two oval rooms with shaded skylights for a natural, though not direct light source. I decided to try out my panoramic photo option on my iPhone for the first time. Though a couple are just from a corner angle, but because the walls are oval, it looks distorted.
Downstairs from the water lilies were a few exhibits featuring works of Cézanne, Gaughin, Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Modigliani as well as others.
There was also a temporary exhibit called Apollinaire: The Vision of the Poet. This was a man who "proved to be a key player in the aesthetic revolution, which paved the way for modern art in France." (Taken from the exhibit brochure). This exhibit houses works collected by his friend Paul Guillaume, an artist who he introduced into avant-garde circles. He was also friends with Picasso because there were a number of Picasso works in here, as well as a Chagall at the very end, representing Adam and Eve. Oh, also no photography was allowed in this exhibit, so excuse the weird angles or blurriness.
After this I walked north to head back to the main metro at the Opéra. The route I took brought me through the Place Vendome where all the ritzy hotels and fancy stores are located. My Uncle Kim told me that the Ritz Hotel is worth checking out, just to see the splendor of the building. There were 2 guards and about 6 lobby "boys" (they were grown men) standing before the entrance. So I gave them all a smile and walked in with purpose. It worked. Took a few pictures while pretending to look for a person and be on my phone. They had a really cool, old-looking map of Paris that was taller than me. Then I walked out, thanking them. It's amazing how far confidence can get you.
After this I got to the metro station at the Opéra and decided that I had the time so I should go in and check it out. This is where the Phantom of the Opera was...though I never actually saw it. It's on my to-watch list now. But it was a gorgeous old building. You can't get into all the areas and if you are self-guided, like me, then the part of the actual theater is limited to the one tier. The guided tours get to be down in the Orchestra section. Nevertheless I got a pretty awesome panoramic from leaning over the balcony. Also, from the east side looking out the window, I could see the Sacré Coeur gleaming on the hillside.
Well that's it for today. Tomorrow I might do some scouting of restaurants for my birthday dinner when my dad's here. I have a few picked out but I'll walk by them and see if I like the atmosphere too. Toodles!
Can't wait to come see you (and Paris)!
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