Today was about history!!!

La Palette is a five minute walk from our apartment.  This bar opened in 1913 and was frequented by Picasso, Cezanne, Ernest Hemingway and Jim Morrison.

We both ordered the cheese, ham and chive omelette – and this was the BEST omelette I’ve EVER enjoyed!!!!

La Palette Paris

Next, we stopped at one of the MANY galleries in our area.  This wasn’t really a gallery, it was the private workspace/shop of French photographer, journalist, reporter and environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Our final destination was Musee d”Orsay .  The Musee d’Orsay  displays collections of art from the period 1848 to 1914. We had a private guided tour who told us of the evolution of art in Paris starting with the Industrial Revolution and the use of new materials like steel as well as artists breaking out of the tight control of art schools such as École des Beaux-Arts where artists had to follow strict rules of painting only religion, mythology and history to transform from Academism to Realism to Impressionism to Post Impressionism.

Today was a WONDERFUL day!!!!

La Palette

Fresh croissant and jam!!

Fresh orange juice and coffee with hot milk!

AMAZING cheese, ham and chives omelette!!

After breakfast Baileys and coffee to start our day!!

Lion – Kenya – Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Second floor – basement …

…with a display of his work….

The Musee d’Orsay!!!

View of Sacré-Cœur

Note the men kissing in this religious painting…this was the artists way of rebelling against strict rules of what and how to paint!

1874-1880 – Gustave Dore’s – Christ Leaving the Praetoruim

1847 – Gabriel Decamps Le Christ au prétoire

1863 – Alexandre Cabanel – The Birth of Venus

!857 – Jean-Francois Millet – The Gleaners

1870 – Henri Fantin-Latour – A Studio at Les Batignolles

1863 – Edouard Manet – Olympia

1863 – Edouard Manet

1866 – Gustave Courbet – L’Origine du monde

1889 – Van Gogh self-portrait

1888 – Van Gogh – Starry Night Over the Rhone

1890 -Van Gogh – The Church at Auvers

1890 – Van Gogh -Noon – Rest from Work

1881 – Edgar Degas – Petite danseuse de 14 ans [Small Dancer Aged 14]

1871 – 1874 – Edward Degas – The Ballet Class

1890 – Edward Degas – Danseuses bleues

1886 – Claude Monet – Woman with a Parasol, Turned to the Left & Essai de figure en plein-air : Femme à l’ombrelle tournée vers la droite

1907 – 1910 – Auguste Rodin – The Walking Man

1896 – 1898 – Paul Cezanne – Still Life With Onions

Time for some lunch!!!

The chairs!!

Michael making an “artist” face!!!

Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), Aimé Morot (1850-1913) Gérôme exécutant les Gladiateurs, Monument à Gérôme Entre 1878 et 1909

Bronze statue of a horse and me- outside the museum!!!