Paris Museums

The weather here last week was particularly terrible. To keep ourselves entertained (and indoors) we bought a four day Paris Museum Pass and hit up the museums like crazy. I don't know why more people don't buy the pass, as not only is it a great value, but it lets you skip the lines (and the line up at the Louvre even first thing in the morning in April is insane!).

We got tons of use out of our passes, returning to some of our favourite museums, as well as trying out some new places we had never been - we made it to the Louvre (twice), Musée d'Orsay, the Conciergerie, all the museums at Invalides, Centre Pompidou, Arts et Métiers, Mode et Textile, the Orangerie, the aquarium, and out to Versailles to see the palace, gardens and Petit Trianon. There is so much history to learn about and great art to see in this city. I enjoyed seeing some of my favourite paintings and sculptures, like the Winged Victory of Samothrace - which is probably my favourite piece of art in this world - and Monet's Water Lilies (why he didn't paint in the miniature ducks, I'll never know...), but I also love that every time I go to these great museums I see something new. We explored the Ancient Egyptian wing at the Louvre where we discovered some really interesting pieces, I learned a lot about France during wartime at Invalides, enjoyed the simple elegance of the Petit Trianon, and was really fascinated by the Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs exhibit at the Espaces Mode et Textile.

The stunning Orsay

The gates of Versailles

The hall of mirrors

Me at Versailles

My hubby's favourite typewriter at Centre Pompidou

Another view of my favourite piece

Some interesting art in the Egyptian wing at the Louvre

Nemo

The Conciergerie