A Morning At The Musee D’Orsay | Paris | Live Lovely Travel

The first place Matthew and I explored when we arrived to Paris was the Musee d’Orsay; the museum with Paris’s largest impressionist painting collection, including artwork by Degas, Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh, among many others. We arrived on a beautiful weekday morning without the long lines. Click here to learn more about the museum and admission fees. 

Once inside we went through security and walked into this magnificent room. Sculptures lined the main hallway and doors along the walls lead to mazes of rooms where stunning paintings hung on walls. The museum itself was once a part of a train station known as the Orsay Station. Now the only traffic you will find here are patrons enjoying the arts. 
Matthew stood under this epic painting for scale. It is incredible how proportionate the paintings are at their massive size. Past the cafe you will find a glass floor with a model of the museum and part of the city underneath. This is one of my favorite paintings by Monet. When I was 14 I made an identical rendering using oil pastels. It reminds me of the lake at home and of the characters I used to read about in my old storybooks. It was so spectacular seeing it in person!This painting of the party by Renoir is another one of my favorites. In person, it is incredible, especially to see how the artist used shadow and speckled light from the trees in the painting. Quite a masterpiece. However, no matter how many times you see photos of these paintings or images in books, posters, and postcards, nothing can compare to seeing them up close in person. Crowds gathered round to see Van Gogh’s masterpieces. Matthew waited in line to see this one up close. On the top floor there is an even larger cafeteria where you may eat. Located to the right there is a door that will take you to a balcony overlooking the river. The views form the balcony of the Seine are lovely. When you complete your indoor explorations, take a stroll outside to see the outdoor sculptures, then take the stairs down the the Seine to walk along the river path. A museum and a morning walk are my two favorite ways to start an adventure in a new city.