Ness' trip report continued - Two days in Paris
Dec 31st, 2007, 04:14 PM
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Can you believe it? I actually left out the whole bit about the Rodin Museum! We did that after the Orangerie on Day 23. So here is that snippet now:
The mega sightseeing day rolled on, with our decision to visit the Rodin Museum. I had been eagerly anticipating this as I’m quite into sculpture, and there are reproductions of his most famous works in the grounds of the 18th century mansion that houses the collection, and which is also a former residence of the artist. It is located close to Les Invalides, and from the gorgeous gardens you can see it’s golden roof.
Rod tried to go see the catacombs while I tackled the Rodin – the first time on the trip that we had split up and tried to see different things! I grabbed an audio guide and headed first for the main house. I loved the layout of the pieces, and the descriptions and commentaries were really good. All the well-known pieces (most reproductions) were on display such as “The Kiss”, “The Thinker”, “The Burghers of Calais”, “The Gates of Hell” etc. I especially enjoyed walking around the gardens and seeing the bronze reproductions of these.
Inside, it is a nice place to walk around too – with its wooden floorboards and chandeliers giving a really nice, classic backdrop to the sculptures. At this point Rod rejoined me, having gone out to the Catacombs but discovering a massive queue there.
In addition to the Rodin pieces, there were many works by his former student and mistress Camille Claudel who was equally talented. I was quite taken with them, there was a lot of emotion injected into her work – maybe reflecting her state of mind as she was quite a tortured soul. “The Bronze Waltz” and “Wave” were two I remember vividly.
And now...back to the Louvre part of the report...
By this time it was extremely close to closing time. We made a dash for the Flemish painting as I would have liked to have seen some Vermeers but they had already begun closing off the sections. So we departed the Louvre, content that we had seen a fairly big slice of the treasures it had on display.
As we walked through the Jardin de Tuileries, towards the metro we noticed a summer fair in full swing. On a whim we decided to go on the ferris wheel and take in the lights of Paris on our final night there. It was a flimsy thing that rocked and was a bit freaky but we took some nice photos up there. Afterwards we took the metro back to St Michel, and decided to walk around until we found a likely place for dinner.
We eventually found a bistro doing a two-course special and settled there with a carafe of wine and enjoyed our last dinner out in Paris. It was a huge day so we returned to the hotel, packed everything up and prepared for the Eurostar the next morning.
Day Twenty-Four - Paris to London
It was an early start, off to the Gare du Nord to catch our Eurostar back to London. It was much easier this time, navigating the metro with our back packs as the early morning rush hour hadn't kicked in. As we walked to the metro stop I took a few last photos of the Latin Quarter streets - sad to be leaving Paris, but so excited to get back to London and see a bit more of the place.
The mega sightseeing day rolled on, with our decision to visit the Rodin Museum. I had been eagerly anticipating this as I’m quite into sculpture, and there are reproductions of his most famous works in the grounds of the 18th century mansion that houses the collection, and which is also a former residence of the artist. It is located close to Les Invalides, and from the gorgeous gardens you can see it’s golden roof.
Rod tried to go see the catacombs while I tackled the Rodin – the first time on the trip that we had split up and tried to see different things! I grabbed an audio guide and headed first for the main house. I loved the layout of the pieces, and the descriptions and commentaries were really good. All the well-known pieces (most reproductions) were on display such as “The Kiss”, “The Thinker”, “The Burghers of Calais”, “The Gates of Hell” etc. I especially enjoyed walking around the gardens and seeing the bronze reproductions of these.
Inside, it is a nice place to walk around too – with its wooden floorboards and chandeliers giving a really nice, classic backdrop to the sculptures. At this point Rod rejoined me, having gone out to the Catacombs but discovering a massive queue there.
In addition to the Rodin pieces, there were many works by his former student and mistress Camille Claudel who was equally talented. I was quite taken with them, there was a lot of emotion injected into her work – maybe reflecting her state of mind as she was quite a tortured soul. “The Bronze Waltz” and “Wave” were two I remember vividly.
And now...back to the Louvre part of the report...
By this time it was extremely close to closing time. We made a dash for the Flemish painting as I would have liked to have seen some Vermeers but they had already begun closing off the sections. So we departed the Louvre, content that we had seen a fairly big slice of the treasures it had on display.
As we walked through the Jardin de Tuileries, towards the metro we noticed a summer fair in full swing. On a whim we decided to go on the ferris wheel and take in the lights of Paris on our final night there. It was a flimsy thing that rocked and was a bit freaky but we took some nice photos up there. Afterwards we took the metro back to St Michel, and decided to walk around until we found a likely place for dinner.
We eventually found a bistro doing a two-course special and settled there with a carafe of wine and enjoyed our last dinner out in Paris. It was a huge day so we returned to the hotel, packed everything up and prepared for the Eurostar the next morning.
Day Twenty-Four - Paris to London
It was an early start, off to the Gare du Nord to catch our Eurostar back to London. It was much easier this time, navigating the metro with our back packs as the early morning rush hour hadn't kicked in. As we walked to the metro stop I took a few last photos of the Latin Quarter streets - sad to be leaving Paris, but so excited to get back to London and see a bit more of the place.
Dec 31st, 2007, 04:29 PM
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It's always good to have reasons to return, but Australia is so far from Europe I went with the philospohy of squeezing all I could from the experience!
I think we managed to see quite a lot of Paris in the short time we had and I have fantastic memories of being there. The detailed journals I kept will help me always remember that time. Happy days!
I think we managed to see quite a lot of Paris in the short time we had and I have fantastic memories of being there. The detailed journals I kept will help me always remember that time. Happy days!
Dec 31st, 2007, 06:41 PM
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I've enjoyed your report so much. Thanks for sharing. You really did a great job of covering lots of territory in Paris.
Did I read correctly that "The Thinker" at the Rodin Museum in Paris is a reproduction? I was assuming that this museum would be full of originals. Do you know where the original is? I know I've seen the Thinker before and assumed I was seeing a reproduction. Obviously, I've got some homework to do before I get to Paris!
Did I read correctly that "The Thinker" at the Rodin Museum in Paris is a reproduction? I was assuming that this museum would be full of originals. Do you know where the original is? I know I've seen the Thinker before and assumed I was seeing a reproduction. Obviously, I've got some homework to do before I get to Paris!
Jan 1st, 2008, 10:38 AM
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Hi Lee,
There are many reproductions at the Musee Rodin as I know that Rodin was prolific with making reproductions of his work, and after his death allowing others to make copies from his casts.
It might be my research that is off as there are originals there - like the Gates of Hell. If you google The Thinker you will probably find out if the one in the grounds is the original. The little Thinker as featured at the top of the Gates of Hell is definitely the original as Rodin created that before the full scale version!
I think I saw a copy of The Kiss in the Tate Modern and another one is outside the Orangerie in Paris...but I don't remember seeing other Rodins on my travels...
Hope this helps - the research was one of the best things before the trip for me!
There are many reproductions at the Musee Rodin as I know that Rodin was prolific with making reproductions of his work, and after his death allowing others to make copies from his casts.
It might be my research that is off as there are originals there - like the Gates of Hell. If you google The Thinker you will probably find out if the one in the grounds is the original. The little Thinker as featured at the top of the Gates of Hell is definitely the original as Rodin created that before the full scale version!
I think I saw a copy of The Kiss in the Tate Modern and another one is outside the Orangerie in Paris...but I don't remember seeing other Rodins on my travels...
Hope this helps - the research was one of the best things before the trip for me!
Jan 2nd, 2008, 03:05 PM
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Ness - I just wanted to let you know that I did read and enjoy your trip report for London and Salisbury.
I'm no art expert, but it is my impression that any artist who works in bronze actually does the sculpture and then contracts with another person to cast it in bronze, which in itself is an art. There can be more than one casting of the sculpture and they are all "original" in the sense of being authorized by the original sculptor.
Please correct me if I am mistaken . . .
I'm no art expert, but it is my impression that any artist who works in bronze actually does the sculpture and then contracts with another person to cast it in bronze, which in itself is an art. There can be more than one casting of the sculpture and they are all "original" in the sense of being authorized by the original sculptor.
Please correct me if I am mistaken . . .
Jan 6th, 2008, 10:51 PM
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Thanks Nikki! That tip helps a lot...
Glad you have enjoyed the report. I'm going to post up Italy starting tonight.
I didn't see the Thinker reproduction in the Varenne metro because I don't think we came in that way - I can't remember the route we took to get to the Musee Rodin at all now (memory is already starting to fail!). But that would be a nice introduction to what awaits visitors upstairs. It is a lovely place to just hang around in.
Glad you have enjoyed the report. I'm going to post up Italy starting tonight.
I didn't see the Thinker reproduction in the Varenne metro because I don't think we came in that way - I can't remember the route we took to get to the Musee Rodin at all now (memory is already starting to fail!). But that would be a nice introduction to what awaits visitors upstairs. It is a lovely place to just hang around in.
Jan 22nd, 2008, 02:33 AM
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I forgot to add that Musee Rodin is also one of my favourite places in Paris and that The Wedding Feast at Cana is one of my favourite pieces in The Louvre. We were in the garden at Musee Rodin when a huge marquee was being set up for a function that evening (or the next).Wouldn't that be fabulous! We are also from Australia and it does seem important to cram in as much as possible when travelling, as it is so expensive and such a huge trip.
Jan 23rd, 2008, 04:17 PM
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You're right about the cost factor from Australia to Europe - although the exchange rate when we went was good compared to the past.
We spent a lot of money on our trip, which included our wedding in Rome, but we were still mostly staying in one and two star hotels along the journey.
Before the trip I remember posting over on the Thorntree LP forum, and explained about our budget and what we hoped to see and some of the posters there got quite nasty, thinking we were spending an exorbitant amount of money - but as you say once you factor in the exchange rate, the cost of flights and then our wedding, then the budget did creep up.
I didn't get the same negativity here at Fodors and that's why I've chosen to post my trip reports here. Glad you enjoyed the French leg, now I'd better finish a bit more of the Italian report!
We spent a lot of money on our trip, which included our wedding in Rome, but we were still mostly staying in one and two star hotels along the journey.
Before the trip I remember posting over on the Thorntree LP forum, and explained about our budget and what we hoped to see and some of the posters there got quite nasty, thinking we were spending an exorbitant amount of money - but as you say once you factor in the exchange rate, the cost of flights and then our wedding, then the budget did creep up.
I didn't get the same negativity here at Fodors and that's why I've chosen to post my trip reports here. Glad you enjoyed the French leg, now I'd better finish a bit more of the Italian report!
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