Paris Vacations: Part 4 - Day Three: Versailles and Musee d'Orsay

While planning your visit to the Château decide on how much time you want to spend there - this place is big, both literally and figuratively. It occupies 2,000 acres of grounds with 12 miles of roads and more than 200,000 trees. There are 50 fountains; the total area covered by roofs is 26 acres! The palace has more than 550,000 square feet with more than 700 rooms decorated with 22,500 paintings, drawing and engravings and 2,100 sculptures. Art collections at the Musée d'Orsay are extensive, but of course it's not as big as Louvre or Versailles. According to the official data, the museum has 680 paintings on its floor with the total of 5,026 art objects cataloged. Well, 680 paintings only - but what kind of paintings! Sept. 11, 2007

Paris Vacations: Part 3 - Day Two: Musee du Louvre, Notre Dame de Paris and La Conciergerie

As planned, the second day was devoted entirely to museums. The first on the list was Louvre - one of the oldest and largest art galleries and museums. And, of course, being in Paris without visiting Louvre was just not possible. La Conciergerie, as a place, is not that large - visitors enter the Conciergerie at the Hall of Men-at-Arms, a massive Gothic hall and remarkable 209 feet long, 90 feet wide and 28 feet high architectural structure. But mostly, La Conciergerie with its recreation of actual prison cells and other facilities remains a grim reminder of the darkest days in France's history. Sept. 2, 2007

Paris Vacations: One Week of Fulfilling Dreams

What can I possibly write about Paris? List of places to visit with brief description of each of them? Or, some blurb about restaurants and bistros that are allegedly better than others? Hardly, there is any motivation for doing this - so much reference material has been published - just choose from a variety of colorful guides the one that appeals to you more and buy it and find in one place enough information not for one trip to Paris but for a dozen. Read this account of a personal experience in planning and visiting Paris.

Part I - Coming to Paris
Part 2 - Our Hotel: First Steps
Part 3 - Day Two: Musée du Louvre, Notre Dame de Paris and La Conciergerie
Part 4 - Day Three: Versailles and Musée d'Orsay
Part 5 - Day Four: City of Paris - Right Bank
Part 6 - Day Five: City of Paris - Left Bank

Sept. 1, 2007