We have not posted for a while, and that is because we have been immersed in, or recovering from, MUSEUM WEEK.   It was exhausting, but an economical and up-close method of attending a Western Civilization survey course in just six days.

We decided to stay in Paris for a month so we could visit museums at a leisurely pace.  I envisioned waking up, stretching, and nonchalantly asking Bob, “Do you feel like an art museum today?  Or perhaps an historic chateau?  Or are you more in the mood to just relax and do a little shopping?” 

These idyllic plans were dashed when we learned about Paris’s Museum Pass.

This nifty, economical pass allows visitors to skip lines and experience over fifty museums for one low price.  The catch?  The pass expires six days after the purchase date!  We dislike lines but love bargains, so we launched into full museum mode and planned our attack.  Goodbye leisurely mornings, hello French culture.  Game on!

My lofty ambition of two museums a day dissolved the first day.  It took us all day to see one part of one wing at the Louvre.  Time to recalibrate!  We shifted from quantity to quality. We chose interesting sites then explored them at our own pace. (We consistently doubled the time our guidebook suggested.)  We visited ten locations:  Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, Pompidou, Rodin, Versailles, Orangerie, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, and the Army Museum/ Napoléon’s Tomb.

I loved this history/culture immersion—it was a vivid, memorable way to scan Western European history.  Every day I marveled at what humans accomplish (good and bad), and what drives those accomplishments.  Painting, sculpting, building, conquering, making peace—our Museum Pass covered it all.  I can’t summarize all we experienced (and that would bore you which I want to avoid.)  Instead, I will share a few observations with a lot of photos.

The Paris Metro system is fantastic.  Clean, fast and well-marked, we were able to get everywhere inexpensively and quickly. Thank you, Paris!

France has a rich, deep history. Paris has preserved this history beautifully in historic buildings (the Louvre is in a former palace, Orsay is in a former train station). I appreciate the investment Paris makes in preserving and presenting France’s history.  Again, thank you, Paris!

It is important to rest during a Museum Week. There is only so much we could absorb before our heads exploded and our feet rebelled.

It is fun to imitate art. Museum Week made us punchy and we would sometimes entertain (humiliate) ourselves when we could not resist the moment.

Medieval cathedrals are stunning engineering marvels with their stained-glass windows, flying buttresses, and soaring arched ceilings. But the gargoyles sprouting from their sides are a little frightening.

The WWI and WWII wings of the Army museum are devastating. It is hard to comprehend that humans, who can create such beauty in art and architecture, can also destroy tens of  millions humans in six short years (WWII).  And this was shortly after WWI, the “war to end all wars.”

Countering the miseries of war is humanity’s phenomenal ability to create art. Monet could use blobs and scribbles to create wall-sized canvases of beauty. Monet’s enormous Water Lilies in the Orangerie are peaceful, beautifully displayed, and make me wonder HOW DID HE DO THAT???!!!  A non-artist, I wondered that daily as I was lucky enough to view some of the world’s best art.  Likewise, I love how artists capture the emotion and joy of human relationships in stone, metal and on canvas. 

Art demonstrates that dogs have been important human companions for hundreds of years.

Concentrated power is a budget-buster. Versailles, which Louis XVI renovated from a hunting lodge into the grandest palace Europe had ever seen, is so opulent that Bob commented, “No wonder there was a revolution.” While its grand rooms and beautifully planned gardens are fun to admire, their excesses are mind-boggling.

Museum Week took a toll on our bodies:  our feet ached, our knees were sore, our brains were on overdrive. 

But it was exhilarating and I was disappointed when our pass expired.  No problem.  We know where to get another pass.  Museum Week.2, here we come!

Sally