In looking back through the blog posts I have written thus far, I realized that I have not yet recommended any museums. What a travesty! When I travel, I always try to hit as many museums as possible to see both the new and old treasures that a specific city and country has to offer. My favorite museum in the world (so far!) is the Musee D'Orsay in Paris. I must caveat this recommendation by disclosing that I am a huge Impressionist fan. It is my favorite style and period of art. So for me, the Musee D'Orsay is like mecca.
First, the Musee D'Orsay is housed in one of the most beautiful and interesting buildings for a museum. It is an old train station built in 1900 for the World's Fair and when you stop and look around you can see the bones of a train station. At the far end of the museum there is the original clock for the station and it is basically a work of art in itself.
Now moving on to the art. It really is Impressionist and Post-Impressionist heaven. It covers the period from 1848 to 1914. You can see Degas, Monet, Manet, Renoir and Van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat...all of the super-stars from that period. There is also a great sculpture section on the first floor. Most of the Impressionist masters were French, so it makes perfect sense to have this museum in Paris. It just fits.
Finally, since you will be worn out and totally overstimulated by all the masterpieces, you have to check out the restaurant. I usually am not a big fan of eating in a museum. It is usually crowded with people and junky food. But, the Musee D'Orsay is different. First, the restaurant itself is gorgeous. You feel like you are sitting in the salon of a French king. The food is fantastic and the prices cannot be beat. It is actually extremely reasonably priced considering the ambiance and the quality of food. I would highly recommend making a stop there. As you can see from the picture below, my husband was very happy at our lunch there!
TIP: Buy the Paris Museum Pass -- http://en.parismuseumpass.com/. It provides discounts and you can pop to the head of the line. Which for impatient people like me is a godsend!One other aspect that I love about the Musee D'Orsay is that it is not so big as to be overwhelming and it is not too small that you think "that's it!" It is really the perfect size -- just enough to quench your thirst for art without causing your head to spin.
If you are in Paris, I would highly recommend spending a few hours in the Musee D'Orsay. It truly is a transporting experience!
Musée d'Orsay
62, rue de Lille
75343 Paris Cedex 07
+33 (0)1 40 49 48 14
www.musee-orsay.fr/en
