| Page Views: 3,418 Last Visit to Paris: August, 2009 | Two of the best museums in the world. by breughel - last update: Oct 17, 2009 |
LE LOUVRE - MUSEE D'ORSAY The nearness of Paris with Brussels (1.30 h by the Thalys train) the community of language, the frequent professional or cultural visits, the follow-up of the French current events by newspapers or the TV make that Paris is closer to me and therefore less extraordinary than the " Ville Lumière " is for the traveller coming from over the oceans.
I thus leave with the distant traveller, for whom the visit of Paris is often a unique event, the care of expressing on VT his discoveries.
I shall limit my comments to the two "major" museums of the French capital:
1° the Louvre which is one of the best if not the best multi department museum in the world.
2° the Museum of Orsay which is worldwide the best museum of paintings from the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century.
Being not French, I shall not be suspected of chauvinism!
I wrote a first, somewhat derisive, comment about the "Mona Lisa mania" when there are so many other beautiful things to see in the Louvre.
More comments might come ... when I will be in the mood.
I was in the mood at the end of August 2007 and went back to Paris for a 4 days trip with the intention of visiting again Versailles where I hadn't been since 40 years… but it rained so much that I had to forget Versailles and hide like thousands and thousands other tourists in the museums. You can imagine the crowds at Le Louvre, Orsay, Notre-Dame!
My first tips are therefore how to avoid the queues.
I returned in the summer 2008 and had sunny weather so that I could visit Versailles. Wonderful work of restoration thanks to the French state and an increasing number of sponsors.
Of course I visited or visited again a good number of monuments and museums in Paris. To my favoured museums I will add, after a third visit, the Musée national du Moyen Age - Cluny. A superb collection.
La proximité de Paris avec Bruxelles (1.30 h de Thalys) la communauté de langue, les visites fréquentes professionnelles ou de tourisme, le suivi de l'actualité française par les journaux ou la TV font que Paris est plus proche de moi et par là moins extraordinaire que la "Ville Lumière" ne l'est pour le voyageur venu de par delà les océans.
Je laisse donc au voyageur lointain, pour qui la visite de Paris est souvent un évènement unique, le soin d'exprimer ses découvertes sur VT.
Je limiterai mes commentaires aux deux musées "majeurs" de la capitale française:
1° le Louvre qui est un des musées multi départementaux les meilleurs au monde. A mon avis c'est le meilleur par sa beauté architecturale extérieure et intérieure, par la multiplicité et richesse des collections.
2° le Musée d'Orsay qui est le meilleur musée au monde de la peinture du XIXe et début du XXe siècle.
(N'étant pas Français on ne me suspectera pas de chauvinisme!).
J'ai écrit un premier commentaire quelque peu moqueur sur la "Joconde manie" qui fait que tant d'autres chefs d'œuvre présents au Louvre sont négligés par les visiteurs.
D'autres commentaires viendront…selon mon humeur. |
|  | MY FAVOURITE PAINTINGS. Once one has been visiting on several occasions museums like LE LOUVRE or ORSAY there are certain works which become familiar. They are like good friends one is pleased to meet again.
Those works I want to show on these pages in a complete subjective i.e. sentimental way.
Tableaux "coup de cœur".
Lorsqu'on a pu visiter à plusieurs occasions des musées comme LE LOUVRE ou ORSAY certaines œuvres deviennent familières. Elles sont comme de bons amis qu'on est heureux de revoir après une absence.
Ce sont ces œuvres qui me tiennent à cœur que je veux montrer sur ces pages en toute subjectivité. |
| | THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY IN EUROPE. I came back with my wife in summer 2009. As we spent, thanks to the nice weather, more time outside than on previous visits, we were able to admire the architectural Paris.
This city is just perfect according to our "criteria".
What are these criteria? Too long to explain, just look at my comments. |
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| Pros: | "everything" | | Cons: | "the "banlieues"" | | In A Nutshell: | "Might my last travel be to Paris." |
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 Comments for breughel about Paris | | | | |
LoriPori Fri Oct 9, 2009 20:55 UTC
Tres bon mon ami. Very well done & excellent descriptions of the various artists. Wonderful "2009" updates. Well derserved kudos. | StumpTim Fri Sep 25, 2009 13:19 UTC
great tip - and bilingual too! agree that these 2 museums are the best - great sharing and wonderful discription - a bientot | Nemorino Fri Sep 25, 2009 13:06 UTC
I see you have recently added two new tips on the Tuileries gardens and the old palace that burned down in 1871. Very informative! I never realized the old Tuileries Palace would have spoiled the view if it were still there today. | icunme Thu Sep 17, 2009 15:19 UTC
Simply stunning opening page and travelogues. Will take a delux tour w/you. So very thoughtful of you to post in both English & French. Extraordinary tour here with photos and detail. Grazie, <(•¿•)> |
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