The Rest of the Story - Paris, week 2

I'm a little late getting to it, but I promised I'd upload the remaining pictures from my weekend in Paris.  So...here we go.

 Arose early Sunday morning and took the subway down toward the Place De La Bastille.

The figure at the left rides atop a very tall tower located at the spot where the Bastille stood until torn down by Paris mobs in 1789-90.

Circling the tower was the beginning of the Paris marathon.

Downtown I ran into the entire 45,000 runners, I think.

After my usual breakfast at the Café Pont Neuf, I head back to the left bank and the Musée Rodin.

The museum is located on the grounds of the old Hôtel Biron a favorite of Rodin, Matisse, and others.  Isadora Duncan had a dance studio just down the street.  Rodin enjoyed the garden and moved his studio to the hotel sometime around 1905-6.    He eventually proposed the city buy the property and turn it into a museum to his work.  This was done in 1916.

The Thinker

The beautiful gardens.

Ugolino

(If the duck knew the story of Ugolino he, doubtlessly, wouldn't be sitting that close. Ugolino's Story

A magnificent bust

Gallagher:  "Why do they call them busts when they end at that point?"

The Kiss

From the works of Camille Claudel, young mistress of Rodin.  A truly talented and tragic creature.
( Camille Claudel Story )












This lady was a very innovative and influential artist.  She is credited with influencing Rodin significantly.  To have spent the last thirty years of her life in an asylum is truly tragic.  My grandmother suffered the same fate, though only (only?) fifteen years for her.  There is some level of disagreement relative to Camille's sanity.  Seems pretty insane to put up with it if you weren't.

 Her detail is amazing

Back to Rodin.  I really like this one because you really get the feeling of the artist releasing the figures from the clasp of the stone.

A great view of the garden from the window on the second floor

I've forgotten the name of this study, but I liked it.













 




 The famous Balzac statue with the Invalides in the background.

The Gates of Hell










I'm not sure the Gates of Hell is where the day should have ended.  It certainly wasn't hell for me...much closer to heaven. 

Running out of time, I head back to the hotel, pick up my stashed bags and hop the tram for the station.  I ended up getting there early so caught an earlier train back to Nantes.  As with last week, a totally comfortable ride through the French countryside.

Don't know yet where the next adventure is taking me.  I was contemplating a long weekend in London or Casablanca this afternoon.  My first major bike trip is scheduled for mid-May so I need to do these little weekenders by plane or train as I can.