Saturday's main activity was a visit to the Musée Marmottan Monet in the suburb of Passy. So why are there pictures of food and chocolate and donkeys, but no Monets? Unfortunately the museum doesn't allow any photographs.Passy is a very upscale part of the city, known as a stronghold of the bourgeoisie. Beautiful, well-kept apartment houses feature upscale boutiques, maternity shops, and pastry shops at ground level. Many "in-town" Parisians consider Passy too boring to visit.
We went to a large cafe in the Place du Passy. Several students said that our lunch there was the best meal of the trip so far. The food was superb.
We continued to the Regis chocolate shop, where everything is made on the premises except the ice cream. The students each made a chocolate selection to enjoy while we walked to the museum.
A pleasant stroll through gardens and parkland led us to the museum. The Marmottan has dozens of Monet's canvases, especially from his later years. Some people consider it the finest Monet collection anywhere. We explored the museum, then everyone had the option of going elsewhere or taking an Art Nouveau architectural tour.
Those who stayed for the tour had a treat. We went in search of apartment buildings designed by Hector Guimard, who is most famous for his Paris Métro station entrances. We found several buildings, including a spectacular apartment block that's pictured below. The details on the building's exterior are amazing, from stained glass to fanciful ironwork.
0 comments:
Post a Comment