The Thinker, Musee Rodin

Auguste Rodin's bronze sculpture, 'The Thinker' at Musee Rodin. The pose is one of deep thought and contemplation, and the statue is often used as an image to represent philosophy. 

View from Rue Royale

View to the Luxor Obelisk, the Palais Bourbon and Les Invalides from the busy rue Royale in Paris.

Eiffel Tower

I never get tired of seeing the grand old lady, the Eiffel Tower. It is like a huge beacon or lighthouse for the city (and at night, it literally is a light house with its bright search light casting its rays across Paris)! 

Eglise Protestante St-Jean

Eglise Protestante St-Jean is tucked away in a lovely hidden garden in the 7th arrondissement, not far from the Invalides. The church was built in 1910-11, and is designed in the neo-gothic style. It is a Protestant Lutheran place of worship and it can be traced to the many Alsatians of the Lutheran faith who settled in the Gros-Caillou district (a district of the 7th arrondissement) in the second half of the 19th century. 

Musee Rodin in the Hotel Biron

Hotel Biron, the location of the Musee Rodin, is a rococo mansion built in 1732. When Rodin first discovered it in 1908, the mansion was essentially abandoned, and he began renting four ground floor rooms, before taking over the whole building from 1911 onwards. This lay the foundations for the Musee Rodin, which was established in 1919. The house is still surrounded by 7.3 acres of grounds, and has the feel of a grand country estate, even though it is in the middle of Paris. Once inside its grounds you lose all sense of the surrounding city!

View from Parc de Belleville

A lovely view from Parc de Belleville. Described by some as 'Montmartre without the tourists', it is a great place to get a long distance view of the Eiffel Tower on a clear day (which is more difficult from the top of Montmartre). The park is also a lovely picnic spot, with a child's play ground for added entertainment!

Bal du Moulin de la Galette by Renoir

The Bal du Moulin de la Galette (or Dance at the Moulin de la Galette) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir is one of my favourite paintings at the Musee d'Orsay. It perfectly captures the atmosphere of a time and a place. It was painted by Renoir in 1876 and is an impressionistic depiction of a Sunday afternoon in the Belle Epoque era, at the original Moulin de la Galette in Montmartre. In the late 19th century, this was a place where working class Parisians would dress up and go to dance, drink and eat galettes into the evening. 

An artist painting at the Musee d'Orsay

The Musee d'Orsay holds the world's most comprehensive collection of impressionist masterpieces, and provides inspiration to present day artists. It usually displays about 3000 works at a time and is 15th on the list of the world's most popular museums. 

École Militaire

 The École Militaire sits in an impressive position at the far end of the Champs-de-Mars park (which itself was a former drilling and marching ground for the French military). The Ecole Militaire is an active military academy for training French army officers, and was founded in 1750 by King Louis XV. The site can be visited during the annual European Heritage days, which allows free access to Parisian monuments, including the Ecole Militaire that are not normally accessible to the public.

Hotel des Invalides

The Army Museum in the Hotel des Invalides houses 60 classical bronze cannons among its 500,000 artefacts of French Military history. This photo is of the Hotel's largest courtyard, called the cour d'honneur (Court of honour). It is surrounded by two arcaded galleries, and it is the venue for national, civil, and military remembrance ceremonies. 

Musee d'Orsay

The Musee d'Orsay is located in an old railway station, the Gare d'Orsay. The station was finished in time for the 1900 Exposition Universelle. However, at the time, its design was considered to be an "anachronism", as its inspiration was taken from the past, and disguised rather than reflected what was an innovative and new form of transport.

Eiffel Tower

Did you know that the Eiffel Tower was not always its current colour? For the 1900 Exposition Universalle she was painted yellow!

View towards Montmartre from the clock at Musee d'Orsay

The clock of the Orsay Museum, a former railway station, provides stunning views over Paris and its surrounds. The clock is an important symbol of both the building's history and Parisian history in general. The elegant design of the clock represents the advanced architecture of the 19th century in Paris. 

Eiffel Tower

It's all a matter of perspective! A magnificent sight, and to think it was only meant to be a temporary exhibit - it was supposed to stand for 20 years only, and to be dismantled by 1909!

Musee Rodin

The Musee Rodin is a museum that was opened in 1919, primarily dedicated to the works of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. The museum is located in the Hotel Biron, and its surrounding gardens, which Rodin used as his workshop from 1908. The gardens around the museum building contain many of the famous sculptures in natural settings. 

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 for the World’s Fair of that year. It is 330 metres high and the tallest structure in Paris. Parisians refer to the Tower as the “Iron Lady”.

View towards Pont Alexandre III bridge and Les Invalides

The Pont Alexandre III spans the Seine and connects the Champs-Elysees quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the city. Les Invalides is a complex of buildings relating to the military history of France, including a retirement home for war veterans (the building's original purpose), and the Royal Chapel, the tallest church in Paris, which houses the tomb of Napoleon. 

Musee d'Orsay

The Musee d’Orsay is a museum on the Left bank. It is housed in a former railway station, built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture and photography.