Musee d'Orsay

After a quick trip around the Musee d'Orangerie, we headed out for a walk across the Seine.

I really thought everything was so beautiful. Early on an April morning, it was quiet, calm, cool...

I thought these army guys were cool. I saw them all around town (or maybe just historic places) patrolling - two together, and then a third bringing up the rear. I hurried to take a picture.

We bought a Paris Museum Pass which gives you admission to a bunch of museums as well as other popular tourist sights (not the Eiffel Tower) in a set number of days. If you ever find yourself in Paris with a Museum Pass (and you don't read/watch Rick Steves), be sure to ask where your entrance is. There is usually a separate entrance with a significantly shorter line. Our pass was for two days, and I was definitely going to get my money out of it.

Which explains why at 10:30 in the morning we were heading into our second art museum for the day.

The Musee d'Orsay.

Pictures are not allowed inside.

There is some beautiful art here. And some other cool stuff, like a little miniature model of the city under a glass floor, or a cross section model of the Palais Garnier.

My kids only lasted about 30 minutes, which is about ten minutes longer than I expected, and about two or three hours less than I would have liked. We strolled around a little longer, soaking up as much art as we could, before moving on.

I would definitely recommend this as a stop on a Paris tour.

And as a side note, on recommendation from a friend in Maryland, last year, I ordered Babar's Museum of Art. I love this book! It's such a fantastic way to introduce art to young children. I pulled it out a few times to prepare our kids for the trip, showing them some of the art we would see, and then letting them guess which museum we saw in Paris that used to be an old train station, just like Babar's museum.

I recommend the book and the museum.