Look But Don't Photo

As I write to you, dear reader, about these travels and these sights I share, I wish to clarify my intentions for these annals of adventure. What you see in these images are perhaps not in perfect chronological order, as some daily journals may be, but rather travelogues presented thoughtfully, by subject and theme.

I have been to several museums in the days I have been in Paris with my mentor, some I have been to before. One of the main differences between the art museums in this lovely city compared to those leading up to this part in our journey is the gratuitous use of No Photography signs.

This being the case, I share with you the view of the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Centre George Pompidou, as the modern art collection inside was off limits.  The collection here is extensive, and though I do enjoy a good collection of contemporary art, it was agreed between my mentor and myself that the Pompidou could stand some equally extensive editing by the heavy hand of a new curator.

Another lovely museum, one of my mentor's favorites, dear reader, the Musee d'Orsay. Also stringent with their rules on photography, I was only able to give you a taste of the special exhibition. My mentor enjoyed the selection of male nudes more thoroughly than I, I would believe.

At the least, an interior of the Musee d'Orsay, once a bustling train station, now a bustling gallery. Last I was here the Musee was still in disarray, being renovated at the time. The top floor is now an impressive show of some of the finest impressionist artists known to time.

To continue with the impressionists, my visit to the L'Orangerie was one I found greatly satisfying, and I never had the pleasure of a visit before now. Though I show you myself gazing at one of Monet's Waterlilies, I am slightly ashamed to admit this photograph was not strictly a permitted one. But I felt compelled to sneak just a small amount of the image that surrounded us in that meditative space, full of light and color that was the artist's greatest works.

Finally, dear reader, though not all of these musee were explored in the same day, I thought I should touch upon the art which is the food. Often we eat from casual boulangerie in the day, but in the evening we often sit and dine together. Here, the finest boef bourguignon stew I have had to finish off a long day and replenish our constitution. The evenings are cool and the weather the slight damp of autumn, and cobblestone streets can be tiring to delicate flippers.