Taken: 21 January 2020
Usually, I’d have my travel archive-related posts written and scheduled a week in advance, but I’ve had a lot of work in the backlog from administrative duties to school work and mail requests. I suppose 4:37am two days ahead is a good time as well.
Musée d’Orsay was the last museum I visited and actually walked around — I visited the AKC Museum of the Dog, the Morgan, and MoMA in Autumn 2020 but just at the gift shops since it was free. The line wasn’t long at Orsay, and there was a lot of space between each visitor. That’s a good thing to imagine happening the month before the pandemic really shook up Europe.
We walked from St. Michel to the west by the West Bank. We preferred train over bus at the time. I didn’t know the museum was a station until my mother explained to me there. We saw the big clock, and my mother had me take many photos of her there. From there, we had lunch. It was my first fine dining experience in a while. I tried to choose the cheapest set, but the waitress told me that what I choose was raw meat that wouldn’t sit well with my stomach. What I had instead was worth the 20-something euros.
I found a number of iconic works like “Le Chat Noir” and found a number of new favorite works like “Le Chat Blanc”. There was a piece set up like a pop-up theatre diorama. What my mother really wanted to see was Monet’s work, and it was indeed beautiful. I was taken by the poppies and drew a postcard inspired by the colors. I also don’t think I’ve ever sat so close to sculptures before being there.
The photo below was taken after the visit. We’d walk to Pont Alexander III and attempt to walk to the Tuileries, but before that we enjoyed the surrounding area. I think what strikes me most about the image is the guy on the left. He dresses and acts as if he is Henry Higgins.
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Dearest Reverie 