Musees & Monuments

 MUSEES & MONUMENTS

October 30

Having slept a tad later than our Paris norm today and having fortified ourselves with strong French coffee (me) and tea (Susan), we readied ourselves to use the last of the 3 days of our Metro Visite pass. We would be getting our money's worth and convenience from it and from the Paris Museum Pass we bought before leaving, visiting two of the major art museums, the Musee de l'Orangerie and the Musee d'Orsay this morning. In terms of reputation and attraction to tourists, these 2 art museums are seen to be "nipping at the heels" of the Louvre. [I should add that although Susan and I are both the children of mothers who painted and drew, we inherited none of their talent. Our knowledge of art is likewise limited (although like most who took the "crip" course, I did make an A in an art appreciation elective in 1967), but we fancy ourselves art appreciators, i.e., we know what we like.] Disembarking after the 10 minute ride to Concorde station, we popped out of the subway at the Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Gardens) and adjacent Place de la Concorde (Concorde Square).

Those 2 sites are popular landmarks and attractions in their own right, but just what the heck are they? The Tuileries have been the site of gardens since 1564, when the widowed Queen Catherine de Medicis had a new royal palace built across the Seine in a large field that had been home to a number of tile factories (tuileries) and a garden attached to one side. By the 17th Century the gardens had become public, and orange groves (orangeries) were planted in them. Louis XIV and subsequent French monarchs continued to upgrade and expand the gardens. Although, as I've mentioned before, we were in autumn with some browning of leaves and plants, the Tuileries is still a sizable (55 acres), impressive place that serves a peaceful purpose -- think of it as a rough equivalent of New York City's Central Park or Boston's Public Gardens.

Tuileries eastward toward the Louvre

A "Free Woman in Paris" enjoying the Tuileries

Westward toward the Eiffel Tower

French scarecrow?

The Place de la Concorde has a more checkered past, including at times serving a full 180 degrees from the notion of concord. Construction began on it in 1757 as a tribute to Louis XV, but became a victim of bad timing. Long before it was finished in 1772 the King had fallen from favor, and the names and purposes of the square followed the ebb and flow of the upheaval in French socioeconomic and political life. What had been renamed the Place de la Revolution was the site of over 1,000 executions by guillotine, including those in 1793 of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. It wasn't until 1830 that the name and purpose returned to Concord Square. 

Three of what are still the most notable monuments in the square were also added, the Luxor Obelisk and two fountains, one dedicated to rivers and the other to the seas. The obelisk, a gift from the government of Egypt in 1829, is a 3,330 year old, 75' monument which once stood at the entrance of the Luxor temple. The 10' tall fountains were installed beginning in 1836. I should note that when France began preparing for this past summer's Olympics, the mayor of Paris moved ahead with the pedestrianization of the Place de la Concorde (making the beauty and safety of the square more available).  I applaud her and can't imagine it any other way.

 Luxor Obelisk ... with the Eiffel Tower 1.5 mi. away

Fontaine des Fleuves

Fontaine des Mers 

Luxor Obelisk

After winding our way through the Tuileries and the Concord Square we used our Museum Pass to expedite our entry into the Orangerie Museum. The Orangerie was built in 1853 as basically a greenhouse which sheltered orange trees from the Tuileries during the winter. It was later used for shows and exhibitions until 1922, when the Council of Fine Arts chose to transform the Orangerie into an art museum featuring a large exhibit of paintings of water lilies by renowned local artist Claude Monet. They remain the centerpiece of the museum with 8 panels, each almost 7' tall, a total length of nearly 300'. A number of renovations and expansions allowed the museum to grow, thanks in large part to the donation of the Paul Guillaume and Domenica Walter Collection of Impressionist and other artists. Some samples of the Orangerie's holdings:

Musee de l'Orangerie

Picasso, of course

The Water Lilies by Claude Monet

More Water Lilies

... and the largest panel of Monet's 

Eglise St.Pierre by Maurice Utrillo

Afterwards we looked for a nearby place for lunch/brunch before visiting the Musee d'Orsay, another incredible art museum that was nearby. We "shopped" for an appealing yet uncrowded bistro or brasserie within a few blocks down Rue de Rivoli, which borders both the Louvre and the Tuileries, and happened upon the Cafe de Tuileries, an attractive restaurant with a view of the Roue de Paris ferris wheel across from our window. We had a pleasant meal and then set out for the Orsay. This museum too has an interesting history of "something old; something new." It began as a train station, for which it served for about 40 years, dating back to about 1900. In the 1970's it was listed as a historical monument, and permission was sought and granted to turn it into an art museum that would bridge the gap between the Louvre and the Museum of Modern Art. The museum opened in 1986 featuring Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces and has been a hit! It's currently  the 2nd most popular museum in Paris and the 6th most popular in the world. In 2023 nearly 4 million people visited the Orsay. We were delighted to try to help break that record this year! Here's why ...

Musee d'Orsay from a Seine bridge

Jacquemart's Rhinoceros
outside an Orsay entrance

... and the view outside the window
(the Louvre and the Roue)

From inside an iconic clock window

... oh, and did I mention that there's somer pretty decent artwork inside?!  

The Siege of Paris - Meissonier

Dahlias in a Delft Vase - Cezanne

Berthe Morisot with a Bouquet
of Violets - Edouard Manet

Whistler's Mother - James Whistler

Dance at Le Moulin de Galette -
Auguste Renoir

The Railway Bridge at Argenteuil -
Claude Monet

Fritillaries in a Copper Vase - Van Gogh

The Water Lily Pond: Green Harmony - Monet

2 of my favorite subjects

Now chock full of art knowledge and experience we returned to the Albar via the Metro for a bit of R&R. We still had some exciting experiences awaiting us: visiting the Arc de Triomphe, seeing the Eiffel Tower at night, and an 8:00 dinner cruise on the Seine. We got a relatively early start on the Metro to the Arc, arriving just after the lights had been turned on. I have to confess that we used our Paris Museum pass, along with the excuses of Susan's bad back and our advancing years to finagle a ride up to the top of the Arc (162') by elevator, had to climb a few feet of narrow, winding steps (about like Ste. Chapelle), and walked out onto the roof ... for an absolutely stunning view of the City of Lights! All of those streets which fan out of the roundabout that encircles the Arc like spokes from the hub of a wheel were lit up ... and it took awhile to work out which was the Champs Elysee. But the jaw-dropping highlight was without a doubt the Eiffel Tower, which alternated between medium lights with a laser-like one extending fore and aft at the top and a bright, full, sparkling Christmas Tree-like display. We had been impressed with Le Tour Eiffel by day, but now?? OMG!!

Arc de Triomphe

Eiffel Tower after dark

The Champs Elysee from 162' up

Then and now: Tower (1887)
and its laser light

There is, of course, also a solemnity associated with the Arc, which Napoleon had envisioned as a triumphal arch through which victorious French leaders and troops would return home in the Roman tradition. Unfortunately for Napoleon, it took 30 years for the Arc to be completed, during which time he had passed on to his eternal Waterloo. His remains, however, passed under the Arc on the way to his final resting place in Les Invalides. On Armistice Day in 1920 an unknown French soldier from WWI was laid to rest under the Arc, and in 1923 an eternal flame, the Flame of Remembrance, was placed at the head of the tomb in tribute to the unknown soldiers who died for France in WWI and WWII. It has never been extinguished (and was the inspiration for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who had accompanied JFK on a visit to the Arc, to have an eternal flame placed at the grave of President Kennedy at Arlington). At 6:30 each evening a public rekindling ceremony is held under the Arc. As you'd expect, it is quite moving.

Nightly ceremony for Rekindling
of the Flame of Remembrance

Once we left the Arc we took the Metro to the Place du Trocadero on our way to the boat for our dinner cruise. We first stopped to see the shining Eiffel Tower from a closer vantage point. We were not disappointed, immensely enjoyed the view, and took several photos.

Afterwards we again walked across the Pont d'Iena Bridge toward the tower. Our directions and the name of the company on whose boat we would take our dinner cruise hadn't been communicated too forcefully, so we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to look if we didn't find it immediately. We found the company, Les Bateaux Parisienne, about 100 yards east of the Tower, then asked directions to the boat on which we were booked. After having been sent to the wrong boat twice, we found ours and settled in. We had a full and pleasant dinner, complete with champagne and a delicious wine. Paris along the Seine at night is lovely, but the historian in me would probably have enjoyed doing it first in the daytime to help "get my bearings." Some pictures of the cruise -- a bit challenging since our boat, of course, had windows and was covered (Impressionist photography perhaps?):

Tour boat companies and restaurants dot the Seine

Musee National de la Legion d'Honneur

Recognize that big clock window?

1/4 size replica of the Statue of Liberty
on Ile aux Cygnes on the Seine

My charming dinner/cruising partner

Mssr. Eiffel's tower was the beacon
to return us to home port.

Nevertheless it was a memorable and delightful evening. The Metro got us back to the Albar before midnight. No worries ... tomorrow, our last day to explore Paris, would be at our own pace. Bon nuit!