Paris, Day 2: Ladurée, Musée d'Orsay

On Day 2, we got a later start. Turned out John had to go in for an hour or so in the morning, so Boo and I ate a long breakfast at the hotel and relaxed/rested until he got back. This time we planned to check out the Musée d'Orsay, which hosts Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists like Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Seurat, and more. I really like this period of art, so I was looking forward to the tour. Plus, the museum is housed in an old railway station and looks beautiful. 

We exited the train under the Arc de Triomphe again, and walked by the Louis Vuitton store. Boo loved the TVs showing the models strutting the gear.

At the recommendation of our friend Alice, we stopped to grab a famous macaron and some hot chocolate at Ladurée. The drink was so rich it was like drinking cake batter. Too much for me and Boo. She helped me drink my violet Oolong tea instead.  We all shared some FANTASTIC macarons, the best I've had so far. Apparently the company sells 15k/DAY. Highly recommend trying the place out. The one right near the Arc is VERY busy, but there are a few locations to choose from that are still small, but have space.  You are able to order food as well, but we were on a time crunch (or so we thought).

Pictures of her parents by Boo. John's going for the Euro look with all that scruff. I like it.

I was getting a little anxious because the museum typically closes around 4:30, and it was around 3:30 when we were seated at Ladurée. I had finally accepted that we weren't going to get to go to the museum (I had purchased the inexpensive tickets in advance and printed them let - you can't do this with the Louvre, they have to be picked up at a store), when John did some research on his phone again. Turns out, the Museum Gods smiled on us for the second day in a row, because on Wednesdays the museum stays open until 9:30pm. Hooray!

We walked to the Place Concord, and crossed the bridge to the museum, but took metros the rest of the day. These dogs were barkin' a bit.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French, and there is a small-scale Lady Liberty right at the entrance. From the museum's website: A small-scale model of the Statue of Liberty by the French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) has been placed right at the start of the visitor itinerary.

There is no doubt that the presence of this world-famous icon at the entrance to the museum, the most important of all American symbols,will very soon become established as one of the most powerful images of the Musée d'Orsay, both as one of the most important art works of the 19th century and for its universal significance.

Dante et Virgil. Boo was very interested in the vampire aspect.

Renoir

Monet. I can't remember if it was a Monet or a Seurat that she set an alarm off with again, trying to get a closer look. Probably Seurat, since I told her it was made up of tiny dots when trying to explain Post-Impressionism to her.

Side note: I don't know where my photography skills have gone. I know how to center pictures! I think I'm trying so hard to get Boo not to grimace I just snap a pic when it's close enough. Blah.

Van Gogh

These paintings almost looked like photographs.

Another impressive sculpture.

I took plenty of pictures of works by Gauguin and Degas (sculptors), but I'll spare you. Suffice to say, we covered the entire museum and it was enjoyable. Boo was pretty over it after an hour, but behaved pretty well. We took about two or three hours, moving quickly. The building itself was gorgeous and I'm glad I went. If someone were to ask, I'd say go to the Louvre if you have to choose. I wish I'd had time for the Dali museum, but it was very far off the beaten path and I had to be fair to Boo.

We went by the Eiffel Tower again to watch it sparkle at night, let Boo ride the carousel one more time, and then headed to a pizza dinner near the metro. 

I think we all felt like this at the end.

The next day, we headed to London via the Eurotunnel. London didn't go as smoothly for us.