Day 11 – the L’Orangerie, Arc de Triomphe & Champs Elysses

Saturday was a big walking day. Getting up at my usual hour, the other tourists had a head start on me but, hey, I’m on vacation. So I did what needed to be done in the morning and headed out at around noon, dreading the weekend tourists.

Where to go? Finally, to the L’Orangerie Museum, built just for Claude Monet’s work. The museum installed the canvases a year after his death because at the time of his death, the building had not been completed. Now, L’Orangerie houses his huge, and last, canvases of his beloved nympheas, or the water lilies from his Giverny home. I could hardly wait.

For some reason, I haven’t travelled to the west as far as the Louvre since I’ve been here, so I spent a bit more time on the Metro, past the centre of the City. Arriving above the Charles de Gaulle Metro station, I easily found my destination and quickly entered after walking through a portion of the Tuileries Garden. I was pleased that there was not a big line of waiting ticket buyers. I headed toward the main galleries and enjoyed the eight canvases, all green, blue, rose, lavender for the shadowy times of day Monet painted these. Then there were the bright white, yellow, gold, and bright blue for daylight, sunrise, and sunset times in the second gallery. He had a barn adjacent to his Giverny home converted to a high-ceiling studio. These canvases had plenty of room to be hung and he moved from one to another depending on the time of day when he could continue adding to the pieces. Brilliant, and a bit time consuming.

After having my fill, I moved to the lower galleries where the collection of Paul Guillaume, a famous 1920’s art dealer in Paris, resides. Some more Renoir, Cezanne, Picasso, and other French artists of the late 19th and early 20th century. This is a must-see museum.

Off on the Champs Elysses to meet the Arc de Triomphe. As I pushed on, keeping in mind the route of the annual Tour de France, I noticed a gradual incline of the boulevard to the Arc. The street pavement is cobbled with the ubiquitous smooth square stones and smooth repair patches here and there. On rainy days for a final day of the Tour, this street is treacherous for the riders. I enjoyed the fresh air, bright sun, and the many people spending Saturday walking the promenade. Made it to the Arc and decided, worn out, that I didn’t want to think about how to get to the other side of the boulevard to stand below the huge structure (probably via underground). So I decided to get my bearings and find my route and transfers to return me to Saint Mande. Another lovely day, topped off with a yummy dinner at home with Adine and Denis. The French like grilled hot dogs (saucissons), by the way, which was our main course. Please pass the Maille Dijon Mustard!