Paris: Walkabout and the Rodin Museum

We went first class on the TGV (high-speed train) from Béziers to Paris Gare de Lyon on September 19, certainly a more comfortable and less stressful journey than by plane. It was interesting watching the landscape change as the train traveled from south to north over the 4.5 hour journey.

After mastering the three security keypads and complicated lock, as well as the narrow, twisting stairs (described as wide and shallow in the promotional literature) to get into our rental apartment in Paris that evening, we went out to purchase enough food to see us through the evening and the next morning. There was a small Carrefours grocery store nearby, full of Parisians picking up food after work, so we had no trouble getting what we needed.

On our first full day in Paris (Sept. 20), we spent most of the day on foot, wanting to see the Seine and get "the lay of the land." The weather could have been better, but at least it didn't rain. I was drawn by the seemingly endless array of equestrian/hero statues, and could have filled my camera's memory card with those.

One of P's main reasons for coming to Paris was to check off an important item on his "bucket list" (things he wanted to do before he died) -- to kiss me on a Paris bridge. Having seen a good many of them today, we decided that the ornate Pont Alexandre III would be the most appropriate choice, but agreed that we would find that special kiss more meaningful on a day when we weren't so tired and the weather was, we hoped, better.

The afternoon was spent at the Musée Rodin, near our apartment, where we had an excellent lunch and then spent several hours enjoying many of the sculptor's best-known works, as well as those of Camille Claudel, his pupil, collaborator, and mistress. The art is housed in a beautiful old townhouse, and we were pleased to be able to get up very close to many of the pieces, and to take photos, as well. We would definitely recommend this museum to anyone visiting Paris!

See my favorites at the museum and a few shots around Paris here.

(Title modified and Flickr link added on Nov. 4, 2011)