Rome, Italy - Travel Scrapbook
Danny and Simone's Travel Scrapbook of Rick Steves' 7-Day Best of Rome (and a little Paris too)
Musée d’Orsay
Another early morning – we have places to go and Parisians to see! Breakfast is at Petit B in Rue Cler.
Using our Museum Pass we enter the Musée d’Orsay.
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Musée d’Orsay |
I have a first stop to make. I want to locate a painting I saw in 2003 but failed to get the artist information. We find it – Henri Regnault – The Execution, 1870. Gruesome but artistically compelling.
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Henri Regnault – The Execution, (Granada) 1870 |
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Artist recreating Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s—Dance at the Moulin de la Galette |
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Claude Monet—Paintings from Monet's Garden at Giverny |
Claude Monet—Paintings from Monet's Garden at Giverny |
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Gustave Caillebotte—The Floor Scrapers, 1875 |
Men around the Piano (not sure of artist or title) |
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Edouard Manet—Olympia, 1863 |
Claude Monet—Paintings from Monet's Garden at Giverny |
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Thomas Gouture—The Romans of the Decadence, 1847 |
Edouard Manet-Luncheon on the Grass, 1863 |
Danny and I kinda follow the museum tour Rick provides in his Paris guide book. Since I’ve studied the various pictures of masterpieces Rick says not to miss, I spot them as we gallery walk. The black and white pictures in his guide simply do not give the originals due justice, therefore you simply must go to Paris and see them in color personally.
Before leaving, we stop in the gift shop and purchase a few souvenirs and a book.
Notre Dame
The line is practically non-exsistant. Early November is a great month to miss the crowds. I’ve climbed Notre Dame before, but I’m going to walk up again with Danny.
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Notre Dame guide |
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Simone at Notre Dame |
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Gargoyle watching over Paris |
Simone’s glad she is not on the lunch menu today |
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Gargoyle pondering |
Danny—“What do you mean…We’re not at the top yet???” |
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View of the Seine River |
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View from the top of Notre Dame Cathedral on a cloudy day — You can barely see the Eiffel Tower! |
We descend all the stairs to enter inside Notre Dame. Take our word for it, going down is a whole lot better than going up!
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Notre Dame—Stained glass |
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Notre Dame’s Rose window |
With our Paris visit winding down, we have to go to the most famous of Paris’ sights—the Eiffel Tower.
The Eiffel Tower
The line at the Eiffel Tower is not terribly long, however it is very overcast (our picture’s blue sky is misleading). I left the decision to go to the top up to Danny since I’ve been before. Our other option is to take the Do-It-Yourself Bus Tour by riding bus #69 and following Rick’s self-guided commentary. Danny says let’s do the bus tour.
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Danny at the Eiffel Tower |
Simone holding Paris 2007—Shameless Plug! |
I need to use the bathroom before boarding the bus. Danny doesn’t need to go and stays at the bus stop. I spot the WC (water closet) sign and head down the steps. There is an Asian man with the same pained expression as me. When we arrive in the WC simultaneously and see it’s unisex, each of us look inside, look at each other, then back inside again, but our need to go overshadowed our apprehension.
I figured that as long as the stall’s lock worked it would be ok.
Exiting, my Asian friend is nowhere to be seen. Evidently, he was Speedy Gonzales in making his exit—I instead find two other gentlemen using the urinals with half a wall separating us. Like my Asian friend before me, I quickly exit, stage left. I cross the street just in time to catch bus #69.
Danny and I enjoyed a very full day in Paris and head back to Rue Cler for dinner at Ulysse. LaDonna had recommended it. Afterwards, we stop for a chocolate sampler at a confectioners shop.
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View from Hôtel Muguet's window of Les Invalides Dome (Napoleon's Tomb) |
We splurged on a room with a view of the Eiffel Tower, unfortunately it was cloudy every day we were here and we were never able to enjoy the view.
[Steps: 17,417/Miles: 8.246]
End of Day 10: Paris
