The World Effect - Around the world travel blog

d'Orsay museum - Paris

The d'Orsay museum is not as gigantic as the Louvre, but it too really needs days to appreciate.  Out of the two museums, I prefer the art in the d'Orsay.  It's really amazing seeing works of Monet, Degas, Cezanne, Renoir and Van Gough in person. The d'Orsay is particularly known for their impressionist collections.  No poster reproduction (nor our photos) can capture these master pieces.  Monet's Le Parlement seemed be glowing on the wall.We really liked the huge open atrium of the d'Orsay.  The building is actually an old railway station.  You can watch time tick away on the large clocks around the building enjoying the amazing art.

The Louvre all to ourselves

As the crowds dictate, the Louvre is an amazing place.  It is actually the most visited museum in the world.  The greatest part about the Louvre is that you can have it all to yourself.  It's amazing, there are over 35,000 works of art in this massive building and the majority of the people are in the general vicinity of the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo.  Sure, it's important to say you've seen these masterpieces, but let that take about 5 seconds of looking over the mass of heads and stretched arms with cameras connected to them.  Once that's out of the way, say "check" and go explore.Even in the very wing of the Mona Lisa , you can find amazing things and study them without interruption. We decided to focus on little details, which is inspiration for our photo below.  This is a compilation of elements we found interesting, sometimes just a square inch from an 8 foot canvas.  It's amazing the different emotions captured in these paintings.We also found places like the Egyptian section to be virtually empty.  Go ahead, wait in line to buy a ticket, the Louvre doesn't have to be a full contact art experience with Da Vinci Code fans.          

Paris, France: Magical views

It started several months ago as a hint and then I only became more persistent the closer we got.  I would say "Come on Beau we can't get this close to the Paris and not go" and "Beau, we just got married.  Would it be romantic to go to Paris?".  All the hard work paid off... Beau took me to Paris! We took the Chunnel for our quick two day trip.  The anticipation was at full strength and I was not let down.  Getting out of the metro stop Palais Royal Musee du Louvre to get to our hotel was an amazing entry to Paris.  As soon as we were at ground level we could see the famous sight of the Louve's glass pyrimd.  Wow, we are in Paris!  Beau and I decide to take a walk at sunset.  On our walk, we experienced the incredible view of Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe down the Champs-Elysees from the Tuileries Gardens that leads up to the Louve.  All I can say is it is magical.The Eiffel Tower seems to almost be a requirement when you visit Paris.  Poor Beau had already waited in the long lines to visit the Eiffel once before but it was wonderful to get to do it together.  It seems we were also in Paris at a popular time.  President Obama and his family visited the Eiffel Tower the next day!