Paris: The Musee d'Orsay

Sorry Mrs. Collins, I didn't go to the Louvre. It was too expensive, and I didn't want to go see art that I didn't know. So Mady and I chose this instead:

The Musée d'Orsay is in the centre of Paris on the banks of the Seine, and right across from the Tuileries Gardens (which I also visited.) It was originally built as a railway station and hotel. The building was also used as a mailing centre for sending packages to prisoners of war during World War II, and prisoners were welcomed there on their return home after the Liberation. It was used as a set for several films, but now displays collections of art from the period 1848 to 1914. The official decision to build the Musée d'Orsay was made in 1977; the building was classified a Historical Monument in 1978 and a civil commission was created to oversee the construction and organisation of the museum. The new museum was inaugurated on December 1st, 1986, and it opened to the public on December 9th.

The building is actually a work of art in itself. It's absolutely massive, at 617 feet long and 246 feet wide.

That's me, posing awkwardly in front of a sculpture of a naked man. 

As much as I love statues of naked people, that wasn't the best part. The Musée d'Orsay has a great collection of impressionist works, including several by Van Gogh, who is probably my favorite. But I only like his swirly ones.

One of his famous self-portraits. The swirly kind. 

Van Gogh's bedroom... I don't know why. 

I really loved this one also.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, "Julie Manet dit aussi L'Enfant au chat"

I said the sculptures of naked people weren't my thing, but they did have sculptures I did like, and of people with clothes on.

I liked this one, because the Alligator is all like "Rawwwwwww"
 and the woman's frantically trying to hold on to her babies, and I just
like the story that it seems to tell. Also, that little stick is not gonna
stop that gator... or is it a crocodile? 

A polar bear.. because why not? 

And this regal Mufasa.

It was amazing to see some of the artworks I had studied and learned about, by artists that were amazing at what they did. We spent almost two and a half hours in the Museum, if that gives any indication of how much we loved it, and how much there was to see. Two hours and we probably didn't even see half of the museum.

Paris: The Catacombs

       

The Catacombs were easily my favorite part of Paris. We waited in line for a good 45 minutes. In the rain. With shoes soaked through, because I was dumb. But we finally got to the ticket counter, and 10 euros and 130 steps later, Mady and I were entering the land of the dead.

The Catacombs were created in former limestone quarries, which were mined for centuries beforehand. They are twenty meters (about 5 stories) below ground, and they contain the remains of around six million Parisians in 11,000 m² of underground space (we only walked a fraction of the tunnels I think). Bodies were transferred here gradually, between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries because graveyards were being closed due to public health concerns. During the Revolution, people were buried directly in the Catacombs. When bodies were first transferred, bones were just thrown in piles and left there; in around 1810, the Catacombs were arranged in an orderly fashion with the skulls and long bones. Behind this, the remaining bones are still piled in a heap. 

"Halt, this is the Empire of Death"

The catacombs aren't all bones though. There are several carved-stone poems (which I couldn't read) and carved out facades. Several huge caverns are there. There are even a couple wells left over from the quarrymen. 

The Quarrymen’s Footbath
 A body of crystal-clear groundwater uncovered by the quarry workers. 
The water was used by workers mixing cement required in the Catacombs.

In some places, you can see obvious gaps in the wall, where disrespecting people have stolen skulls and other "souvenirs." You have to have your bags checked before and after the tour, so I don't know how, but people still manage.

"He who has learnt to despise life fears not death."

There is another archway sign on the way out, and then 83 spiraled stairs that almost killed me (they were much bigger than normal stairs though, so it was more like taking 166 stairs two at a time). I wish we could have exited the catacombs into a beautiful ray of sunshine and warmth to fully appreciate this life, but it was not to be. It was actually still miserable outside and was much warmer in the tunnels. 

I Did Make it to Paris!

This is going to be a really short post; I'll elaborate once I'm back to Manchester. 

So obviously, I did make it to Paris. And we were only two hours late! We went straight to bed as soon as we arrived. 

This morning, we got up and were out the door by 9:30. We had to check in to a new hostel (I'll explain later) and that, combined with our lack of knowledge on the Paris metro, made us late for our walking tour. So instead, we went to the Eiffel Tower, and got lunch in a nearby cafe. 

Notre Dame Cathedral was next. 

Then we attempted to visit the Louvre, but it was closed. We'll try again tomorrow. But, there was a place selling macaroons nearby, so we stopped there. It was my first ever, and it was sooooooo good. 

My favorite part was the Catacombs. It was very creepy, but also really amazing. It seemed like we were walking forever! There are around 6 million skeletons down there, but I bet we only saw half, if that. 

And that was the quick rundown of my day in Paris.