Musee d’Orsay

I did not visit this museum when I visited Paris in the first time in year 2002 May. In less than 12 hours day trip by bus from Papenburg, you had to sacrifice some and keep them for next trip.

Museum Orsay is one place you have to gradually take your time to appreciate the artworks and not a site you can finish in an hour visit.

The main building of this remarkable Art Gallery was formerly a train station. With its large collections of paintings and artworks, it is definitely a good reason for a repeat visit to Paris.

It was the first Sunday of the month and it is free admission! Good to save some of my Euro. Although I tried to be a little earlier than yesterday, when I arrived t after walking from the Louvre Metro station and crossing the non-busy Sunday morning Quai Du Louvre street then Pont Royal bridge, there were already many early birds getting in to the museum.

Headed straight to the upper level for the most popular Impressionist collection, I felt that this was a continuous visit from the previous Art Institute of Chicago. Just within 2 weeks, visited two leading Impressionist Art Galleries really made me crazy about Monet, Renoir, Degas etc…

There are also some Naturalist and Symbolist paintings in different levels. There are plenty of fine sculptures and artworks in the ground floor.

One little corner I quite like was the Art Nouveau furniture and its beautiful home decorations. I could not find Gaudi’s art decoration neither did Gustav Klimt’s painting in this visit because there was another exhibition in the Grand Palace where the Klimt was exhibited. I guess I saw enough Klimt in Vienna already, it was not quite disappointed if I do not see Klimt in Orsay.

Then, I thought I could have a chance to have coffee behind the huge clock of the building to appreciate artistic feeling, but both Café and Restaurant were packed and busy during lunch hour.

Four hour in the museum, I still could not finish all the collection and I even missed Rodin’s sculptures!! I was too tired to go to level 2 for Rodin and decided to leave for Louvre.

I shall keep Rodin for next Paris Musee d’Orsay visit