The art of Paris

Our site ESE of Paris was one of the best caravan sites we have encountered in Europe (Camping 4 Vents). The sites were large and hedged with good facilities, good internet, 15 minutes to the railway station and a non stop half hour train to Garde L’Est. In short – brilliant!

Our first trip into Paris was centered around Montmartre. The temperature was in the 30s so the funicular was the only way to travel up to take in the view from Sacre Coeur. We opted not to queue and go in but set off for a stroll of Renoir's gardens.

The vineyard to one side of the garden is the last one in Paris. Not sure of the vintage quality but the quantity will be small.

One of Renoirs famous paintings is “The Swing”. This apparently is the tree and swing (viewed from the other direction). The seat could be original. The ropes were very worn, hence the supporting spring.

Many of the streets were dedicated to art and various artists. This display was all about Van Gough.

While this was a wonderful, albeit unusual, display of pottery.

Around Sacre Coeur there are the inevitable pick pockets and three card tricksters. Away from the crowds there were further opportunities for thieves – when caught red handed with a fig, theft apparently becomes scrumping…

Out team had decided our first catch up would be Moulin Rouge. We didn’t want to be late so we had a perfect reason for a pre-show drink in the adjoining pub. Jo flew in for a few days and as the show was the day prior to her birthday a second celebration was appropriate on the actual day and a quick river trip fitted the bill nicely.

Notre Dame is slowly being repaired after the awful fires of 2019. 

As we slipped by Musee D’Orsay (previously Gare de Paris – Orleans) we were prompted that this was still on our bucket list and hence became the focal point for the following day.

We started with lunch at the level 5 café which sits behind one of the wonderful external clocks. 

The comparative outside view of the clock helps to underpin the scale of the building. 

Given there is so much to see we decided to focus on the Impressionist galleries. The entry piece by Maximillien Luce was particularly moving and depicts “Bloody Week” (21- 28 May 1871) and the suppression of the Commune who wanted workers management of the city of Paris.

There were so many well known pictures including one of Monet’s many versions of 'the haystacks'.

And Renoir’s ‘Dance at the Moulin de la Galette’

As we worked our way through the artwork it was hard not to be struck by the wonderful conversion from railway station to museum. The original station was built in 1900 for the ‘exposition’ and was the first station in the world to cater for electric trains. It started to fall into decline in the middle of the century with the advent of longer trains as site restrictions prevented the platforms from being lengthened.

In the 1960’s many older buildings were faced with demolition but due to a lack of exhibition space it was decided to convert the station to a museum and work got underway in earnest in 1978. 

And what a wonderful job was done. The old architecture has been refurbished and the new internal areas designed to enable the original building to be really appreciated. A level 5 viewing platform gives a great overall view.

This closer shot shows off the detail of the internal clock which appears to have caught the attention of the statue of liberty. (This 1/16 version of the NY statue was cast in 1900 for the exhibition.)

Natalie had arranged an evening dinner cruise for us. We had a unique table with petals scattered around supporting a romantic evening. (Her suggestion that it was an incorrect on-line-booking box tick was not a believable lie!) 

The cruise turn around was by a second (this time ¼ scale) statue of liberty. There are in fact 5 official versions in Paris all of which are more correctly called ‘liberty enlightening the world’ to celebrate the Franco- American relationship.