I don't know if it is by pure luck or somehow my hubby knew it, we have booked an apartment in the 1st arrondissement of Paris city. It means the first district and it is the heart of Paris. In the heart of the Paris lies the most elegant squares, formal gardens, street arcades, courtyards and of course the famous oh-my-gosh so beautiful Seine River. So every morning we walk along the river or the gardens to enjoy what Paris is all about.
Here are some sights from the right bank of Seine River. Absolutely beautiful.
As for gardens, here is an example, the Jardin du Palais Royal. It is apparently a formal garden constructed in the 1600s.
Right now the garden has been lined up with restaurants, art galleries and specialty shops on all three sides of it.
Or the Jardin des Tuileries. This much bigger formal garden were once the garden of the old Palais des Tuileries. The landscape runs parellel to the Seine River from the Louvre to the Champs-Elysees.
So it is no surprise that beautiful sculptures were found around this formal garden.
Towards the end of the Jardin des Tuileries, I suddenly stumbled upon the masterpiece sculpture of Auguste Rodin, 'The Kiss'. Ahhhh, a piece of original masterpiece adorning the garden that can be access by Parisians and tourist alike. Kiss away ... in the City of Love.
And since I'm talking about Jardin des Tuileries, let me introduce one of the museums that I have the chance to visit at the end of the formal garden, the Musee de L'Orangerie. It is probably one of the smallest art museum in Paris. However, I came nevertheless to see Claude Monet's crowning work, the water lily series.
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| The Monet's Nympheas gallery (pix from another website) |
The Musee de L'Orangerie has purpose build two main rooms in the museum to fit the 8 pieces of artwork by Monet that completes The Water Lilies collection. Both the rooms are oval in shape and as you enter, you are suddenly transported into Monet's water garden from sunrise to sunset. I'm not an arty person, so for me to experience the appreciation I have for art like this is the first. It is definitely worth the trip to this museum. As Monet said, "Nerves overwrought by work would relax there just like the relaxing example of those stagnant waters, and, for whomever inhabited it, this room would offer asylum for peaceful meditation amidst a flowery aquarium ...".
Of course other than Monet, the museum also features arts by Rousseau, Modigliani and Picasso among others.
Not far from Musee de L'Orangerie on the other side of the formal garden is the museum that holds the most important art collection in the world. It is none other than the Musee du Louvre. Because I have way too much to write about the museum, I will dedicated an entire blog on it.
Meanwhile, a film venue spotted. A cafe opposite the Musee du Louvre, is where Angelina Jolie is sipping her tea in the first scene of the movie 'The Tourist'.
Location : Tuileries, Paris, France
Next,
Musee du Louvre
