Day 8 / Picasso Museum and Rodin Museum

There are so many museums to visit in France! I chose to visit the Picasso Museum, since he is one of my all-time favorite artists, and his work really goes over well with my students.  They enjoy the bright colors and his abstract style.

I'm already thinking of a million ideas for how to use the information gleaned from this exhibit with my students in art class! Not only were there a great number of Picasso's pieces in this museum, but there were also many pieces by other famous artists.

These are the parts that fit into the torso of a piece by Rodin. I think my students will find his interesting.

A Rodin sculpture without the arm yet.

The Thinker by Rodin.

Rodin was a master at capturing expression within his figures.

The Rodin Museum was also a great experience. Outside of the museum, there is a beautiful garden filled with life-size and larger than life-size sculptures by Rodin. Another full day of art in the lovely Paris, France!

Day 9 / An entire day spent at The Louvre!

Today, I went back to The Louvre early so that I could spend the entire day researching the immense selection of art and antiquities. I could skip past the most famous (and most crowded) pieces, since I had already visted them late in the evening on day 4.

Here are just a few of the highlights from the day.

Art from all around the world was represented within the Louvre, but I had been most looking forward to exploring the Egyptian collection, which did not disappoint!

What an exhausting and fullfilling day!! The Louvre is enormous! There is so much to see, and each new room seems more interesting than the last. I believe I could come back to this place over and over again for a week or two, and still not see everything.

Day 7 / Salvador Dalí Museum and Montmartre district

Today, I went to visit the famous Montmartre district of Paris, famous for street artists and the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur, which is located on the crest of the hill.

Artists set up on the streets of Montmartre district.

Basilica of Sacre-Coeur on the top of the hill.

View from the top of the hill in front of Basilica of Sacre-Coeur.

As a fan of Salvador Dalí, I was excited to visit the The Espace Dalí, which is a permanent exhibition in France devoted to him and more particularly to his sculptures and engravings. The museum has around 300 original artworks.

Dalí is known for his long-legged animal pictures. My students will love these!

Dalís ink blot-style paintings were quite interesting.

My students love Dalí 's melting clocks! Here is a sculpture of one.

There was also some interesting reflective pieces. Here is a short video of this one.

 I learned so much about Dalí  that I never knew before. His ink blot paintings were new to me, and I really enjoyed the sculptures. The museum was too dark for me to capture one in a 3D scan, but I was able to get a lot of great photos of them.

Day 6 / Giverney Day Trip!

Today was another wonderful day! I took a train to Giverney, and visited Claude Monet's garden and the beautiful and quaint town he once knew so well.

The town of Giverney.

Claude Monet's home!

One of many flower pictures taken in Monet's garden.

 

Monet's bridge!

This garden was really undescribeable! So far, it may be the highlight of the trip. I really enjoyed spending the day in Monet's gardens, walking on his bridge, viewing the layers of plants and flowers while imagining him painting in this location. What a beautiful and inspiring place!
 

Day 5 / Flea Market, Notre Dame and meeting a teacher from Georgia! Grand finalé - Eiffel Tower in Lights.

Today, I started out early by going to the Catacombs again (second try), but it appeared to be several hours of waiting in line, and there are so many other things to see, I moved on to the Flea Market. 

Now, I've been to a lot of Flea Markets, but I've never seen an entire market full of really amazing trinkets. Each item seemed special and unique. There were metal and leather stamping supplies, jewelry, old paintings, and all kinds of French tableware. It would take an entire day to see everything. It's a good thing this market ended at noon!

 

Next stop - Notre Dame Cathedral!

 

Notre-Dame was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttresses, althought they were not in the original construction. They were added at a later date.  These flying buttesses are arched exterior supports for the building. 

A flying buttress, close-up.

 

Interior of Notre Dame Cathedral.

The famous stained glass Rose windows!

 

 

Notre Dame Cathedral from the back.

After posing for the above picture, I met Susan, a fellow teacher from Georgia! She asked me about my fellowship, and that's what started our conversation. She had some great advice about how she teaches about France and architecture. I'm looking forward to her emails once I get back home.

In Paris, there is always time for a grand finalé for the evening. I can't seem to get enough of the Eiffel Tower. Here's another pic of the tower over the Seine River!

Bonne Nuit! ("Good night!" in French)