On Saturday morning, we said goodbye to Jean-Marie and Marie-Helene. Jean-Marie dropped us at the train station in Angers. We had reserved seats in car 15, so asked where we should stand on the platform. A young man took us to the screen which mapped the TGV cars to the markings on the platform. The train stopped longer than we expected, and after some confusion, we found our seats. The ride was 1 hour and 45 minutes. At some points, the train was going at automobile speeds, and at other points well over 100 miles per hour.
When we arrived in Paris, we took a taxi to our hotel for the next few days, the Ibis hotel near the Place d'Italie, in the same neighborhood that we had stayed in a few weeks before.
After dropping off our luggage in our small but well-equipped room, we took the bus to the Rodin Museum. The day was hot, so we sweated in the bus, and in the museum, which was not air conditioned. We were impressed by his breakout style and his prodigious output. The special exhibit was of many of his marble sculptures. For some reason, we think of Rodin as a bronze sculptor, but he also made many marble sculptures.
After getting back to our hotel, we walked down a few blocks to the Cafe Canon, where we had a great view of the world walking by. However, it was right at a busy intersection, with mopeds, motorcycles, and buses contributing to the noise.
On Sunday we walked to a nearby church for the 9 AM mass, only to find that there was no 9 AM mass this Sunday. After a few minutes on my iPhone, we identified another church within walking distance with a 9:30 mass; we arrived just as the mass was starting. The attendance was good, and the church seemed to have many activities, unlike what we saw around Brissac.
After mass, we spent some time in the nearby market, where we bought fruit and bread. After dropping this at our room, we took the bus to the famous Musee d'Orsay. At one point, about a mile from the Musee, the bus stopped and we were told to get out. The route had been changed because the Tour de France was finishing in Paris that day. We strolled along the Seine river, looking at the books, posters, and other merchandise on offer. Richard bought some drink coasters based on old French posters.
The Musee d"orsay, built in an old train station, is overwhelming. As we walked towards the entrance, we began to realize how large it is. We joined the line to get in, which only took a few minutes. The Orsay is best known for its collection of impressionist paintings, which is vast and impressive. We are unable to say what part of the Orsay was most impressive, there were so many great painters, and so many of their works that we could not choose. Several times we sat to take a break and absorb what we had seen. When it was time to leave, after four hours, we could not take a bus due to the service disruption occasioned by the tour. The barricades and police were already in place. The first two subway stations were closed or unreachable. The third station was open, and we rode home.
We had a nice dinner at the Via Italia restaurant, very near our hotel.
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