The first of our two museum days

Oh my, what a day!  We visited four museums today plus Notre Dame. And we are still walking and talking.... Well barely, I'm collapsed on the couch with my feet up sipping a restorative glass of wine.

This morning we purchased the Paris Museum Pass, good for two days of admissions to many of this city's fine museums.  The biggest benefit is that you get to bypass lineups for the most popular spots. The drawback is that you have to hustle to see what you want to in just two days.

We started with Sainte Chappelle and Notre Dame, plus the fascinating Archeological Crypt that shows excavations under the Isle de Cite where Paris began.  Fascinating to see the ancient ramparts of the island that was Paris built with stones from even older Roman temples. 

Then we had a bite to eat and took the Metro over to the Musee D'Orsay with its beautiful collection of Impressionist paintings. It was incredible to see the paintings of Renoir, Pissaro, Degas, and Cezanne. Reproductions just don't communicate what the originals do.  Photography wasn't allowed so I'm showing you a couple of pix of the building, a turn-of-the-century train station.

One of the sculptures at the top of the building was this lady holding an ice cream cone...?

A short walk to Rodin's home and museum in a beautiful garden. 

Rodin's work is very strong and impressionistic.  But I was also taken with an exhibit of sculpture by a woman contemporary who had a tempestuous relationship with him, by the name of Camille Claudel. Apparently she joined Rodin's studio as a pupil and assistant. And she ended her life in a mental asylum.  This is one of her pieces.

Walking home along Rue de Servern we passed the iconic Bon Marche, now being restored.  I was intrigued by these designer shoes but they're not really my style.

We had an amazing, full day and there's another one in store for us tomorrow.