So many choices...where to begin?

If there is a problem with Paris, it is that there are so many different things to see...even if you have seen some before. We decided that we would buy the 6-day Paris Museum Pass as we would be here for so long...not so much because it might save us some money but because it would save us queuing in some of the bigger places. As we hadn't bought the passes before we arrived, the easiest place to get them was a participating museum...and so after breakfast we set off for the nearest one...the Panthéon. Built originally as a church, it was taken over by the State at the end of the 18th Century to be a temple to house the ashes of "the nation's great men". Among the many tombs for people we didn't recognise were some for the world famous...Voltaire, Victor Hugo and the Curie's to name a few.

The Panthéon is undergoing some much needed restoration so it looks a little funny at the moment

What it should look like

Inside the Panthéon

After spending a big chunk of the morning wandering around the Panthéon, we decided that we would go to the Musée de l'Orangerie. One of the problems with Paris is that it is such a beautiful place and everything seems so close that you can end up walking everywhere...which we did. From the Panthéon, we walked past the Sénat and through the Left Bank area to la Seine where we crossed over into the Jardin des Tuileries. Here we had a rest for a while before heading into the corner to the Musée de l'Orangerie...only to discover that it was closed.That is the other problem with Paris...most of the big museums are closed on either Monday or Tuesday...and we didn't read our information closely.

Looking down Rue de Tournon to the Sénat

La Seine

Looking across la Seine to Musée d'Orsay

Jardin des Tuileries

Jardin des Tuileries

Jardin des Tuileries

Looking down the Ave de Champs-Elysées

Musée d'Orsay wasn't too far away and it was open today, so we decided to go there instead to catch the parts that were closed to the public three years ago. We got in quickly with the Museum Pass but found it was bedlam inside...it seemed like everyone who had found that both the Musée de l'Orangerie and the Musée du Louvre were closed today had come here instead. To cap it off, we had barely found our way to the Impressionist galleries on Level 5 when they started pushing people out for some reason. Feeling a little hungry and thirsty, we decided that coming here wasn't such a good idea and we left to find a cafe outside...something that isn't difficult to do in Paris.

With our afternoon tea out of the way, we decided to call it a day and head back to our hotel. At this point it probably would have been smart to look for a bus or the Metro...but strolling the streets of Paris on a sunny day is so enjoyable...so we did just that. Somewhat tired, we arrived back at our hotel. After a rest we hit the streets again, this time in search of dinner.

Moving the furniture...the Parisian way

Jardin du Luxembourg

Jardin du Luxembourg