Bonne Année Paris from My French Chateau !!!!

Behind the scenes.....when the museum is closed!

Think that all is still and quiet in a museum when the doors are closed?

Think again!

There's a lot going on when the visitors are gone, and just as much when you see a gallery roped off.

Installation of a new exhibit takes a lot of work, and these massive paintings are not that easy to maneuver . It can take weeks for a new exhibition to come together.

And while re-painting a room and hanging the paintings seem simple compared to the workrooms which can be twice as busy! Crating and un-crating a painting takes time. Inspection of each work of art. Some works require restoration such as touch ups and cleaning, re-framing the list is endless!

So to give you an visual idea of what goes on, I have collected these photos from The Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, and the Metropolitian Museum of Art.

This will I've you some insight..... behind the scenes!

Enjoy!

cookies anyone????

OH,  LADUREE, how  do I love thee???

Let me count the macarons!

The BEST "Before & After"

I have seen a lot of Before & After designs over the years.

Some were wonderful, some not so hot.

But this was the most extensive and impressive I have ever witnessed!

In the center of Paris, facing the Seine River...

What was first built as the Gare d'Orsay built in 1900 for Universal Exhibition.

The station & hotel served numerous travelers in addition to many banquets and political meetings.

But in 1939 the station changed to only serving the suburbs as its platforms were too short to accommodate the modern, electrified & longer trains. 

It was then used as a mailing center for sending packages and letters to prisoners during the second World War and  even movie companies used it as a backdrop. In 1973, the hotel closed.  It escaped
total destruction and was finally classified as a Historical Monument in 1978.

On a personal note, just after the building was saved and it was announced it would become the

Musee d'Orsay

I was fortune enough to be walking by late one Sunday afternoon.

There was no one about, and even more surprising no signs of "No admittance "!!!

The gates which surrounded the building were open wide...

so, what would you do?

Well, I walked in!

All of the furniture in the hotel had been removed. The train tracks were gone and the walkway was not there. But the rest was exactly as if time had stood still.

Soot covered the ceiling, the clock was still, and there was only silence and memories of all these walls must have seen and heard!

It is a memory I will never forget....and thats why the Musee d'Orsay and all of the Art it shows off so  well, will always be near and dear to my heart!

This fabulous musée opened its doors December 1, 1986.

Go there and see, but listen for the ....train whistle!

Happy Bastille Day Mes Amis!!!!

Enjoy your own celebration, 

wherever you are!!!

Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris

I have always bene attracted to the Paris cemetery.

Perhaps its the peace & quiet, perhaps the history, or just paying your respects to someone, long departed, who has in their way touched your life.

I was lucky to have gone to a flea market near the Metro Pere Lachaise, and wandered in after shopping.

For those of you who have a draw to the past, this is a must stop for you.

 Main entrance

 You'll find some old friends there... like Chopin.

 Those of royalty...

some very stylish,

 And this lovely walk down to my very favorite.... not because of the most famous, but of his most

meaningful to me...

 Camille Pissarro

 and Seurat.  Some people leave flowers or love notes too.

 and many others

 that we don't even know.

Here is a map that they will give you for free as it is the largest cemetery inside of Paris! It covers over 119 acres! Created in 1804, is the largest green space in Paris, and has over 70,000 graves.

You'll also find famous people like Jim Morrison, Balzac, Maria Callas, Camile Corot, Georges Haussmann, Lalique, Yves Montand, Edith Piaf, Marcel Prost, and Oscar Wilde, just to name a few.

Take comfortable shoes, your camera, and the map and prepare to me amazed by the size,

the quiet and the fabulous carvings, statuary, history!

Cafe Paris !!!

Anytime is a great time to sit and people watch

while having a meal or just a coffee!