Retired Nomads Part 4: Musée d'Orsay, Montmartre, Moulin Rouge

Sunday July 6

We woke to torrential rain and radar didn't show it letting up anytime soon. Instead of taking the Metro we called an Uber to the Musee d’Orsay which is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built from 1898 to 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. I was particularly interested in the Van Gogh and Monet wings. Starry Night Over the Rhône is here. When we were in Amsterdam a few years ago we visited the Van Gogh Museum and were disappointed that none of the Starry Night series was there. (The famous one is in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art)

It is large but more manageable than the Louvre. We did stop and wait in line for an eternity for a cold drink & a snack at their cafe.

Musée d'Orsay

The Hermaphrodite (this one was important to walk all the way around)

model of the museum

Whistler's Mother

there was wing of poster art

this lady was leading a tour of young children - committed to the character

Monet

Van Gogh

Starry Night Over the Rhône

view from a window near the cafe

we took a lunch break at the cafe

These 2 young ladies were doing a professional photo shoot - it was going on when they got there and still going when we left. They occasionally took breaks which for those wanting their selfie in front of the window could do it if they were fast.

quiche Lorraine

mushroom quiche

decorative art wing

If weather had been better, we had planned to visit the Pere Lachaise Cemetery where Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde and Frédéric Chopin are amongst the famous people buried there. Instead, we headed straight to Montmartre. It was still raining but not hard.

Montmartre is a neighborhood where many famous artists lived including Picasso, Modigliani, Miro, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Géricault, Renoir and Van Gogh, made Montmartre their home, met up in cafes and busied themselves in the many artists’ studios on the Butte. We had a self-guided walking tour that we followed to see the highlights.

Sacré-Cœur basilica is a Catholic church and minor basilica in Paris dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 222 steps lead to the basilica and if you climbed up to the dome there were an additional 300. We skipped the dome. Since it was Sunday there was a service when we visited. There is a tourist route around the center, so they aren't disturbed too much while they worship. Watching the nuns lead the singing and the priest preaching made it all the more special.

metro station

The rain had slowed but it hadn't stopped yet

"Sinking House of Montmartre" - a fun optical illusion

We waited in the long line in the light rain, and we think a group of 3 were attempting to pickpocket Greg. One did the bump and then 2 others tried to come into the line. Greg pushed back and all 3 left.

inside Sacré-Cœur basilica

Pope Leo

Sacré-Cœur basilica

continuing our wander of Montmartre - street art

it was time for macrons - yum!

Moulin de la Galette Restaurant (an old windmill)

where Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Théo lived from 1886 to 1888 (blue door)

dinner

Escargots de Bourgogne with plenty of French bread to sop up the liquid

croque monsieur with a tasty mustard

Creamy Burrata cheese & roasted eggplant

‘Je T’aime‘ (or I love you) Wall

art above the wall

It poured rain while we were having dinner, but then it stopped. We decided to walk back and see the view and the basilica since it was a white when we visited.

there is a dot on the picture above and it was this bird

we walked to Moulin Rouge and stopped for gelato

We had a 9:00 reservation for Moulin Rouge show with Champagne - the birthplace of the French can-can. We chose not to have dinner there and diners have the closest seats. We did get very nice seats where we were the first raised level and could see over everyone below us. No photos are allowed of the actual show only the pre-entertainment. Feerie is the show going on now. I did buy the tourist booklet and have scanned a bit of it to include here.

The show was quite a mix of entertainment besides the show girls (mostly topless), Soul group, acrobats, a water tank with a performer, circus type themes, war themes and more. I was surprised to see a few kids there, but nothing was lewd and I'm sure they see worse in movies and TV in terms of nudity.

The cancan was a bit of a letdown possibly due to the presentation in this particular show. It was a bit acrobatic.