Art & architecture in Paris

Paris is the #1 travel destination in the world. If you've ever been there, or have a desire to visit there, you get it.

On the Art Appreciation Tour in May of 2011 that was designed by Special Travel International http://www.sticanada.com/ we had lots of opportunities as part of the travel 'package', or on our own to explore and get lost in the wonderful little streets of Paris.

My wife & I arrived in Paris at Gare du Nord several days before the scheduled tour was to begin, so we had some time to retrace steps of previous  trips, and get lost in some totally new corners, for us.

The train stations in Paris, and in Europe in general, are much more dramatic and interesting places than they are in North America. There are several just in Paris, and they are all quite distinctive. Good places to photograph people, action, and light. There aren't really many 'new' corners in Paris, but there are always new places for you to 'discover' in a city like Paris.

Our little hotel was the Hotel Chopin, so named 'cause Chopin lived there for awhile. Tiny, unpretentious rooms with a breakfast room full of character......and characters. It's only a ** hotel, but its texture, personality and location made it perfect for us. I have often found that the larger, newer, more upscale hotels aren't as interesting or fun to stay in. although the character hotels can be a little less polished and have fewer 'comforts'. 

The Hotel Chopin is located in one of the covered passages that remain a bit hidden away in various parts of Paris. The covered 'mall' shopping experience was developed in Paris in the early 1800s, to allow people to get away from the muddy and horse-filled streets and shop out of the weather. There are only 20 or 30 of these remaining, but they are unique little places to shop or have a latte if the weather turns.  

They all have glass roofs and many have the original tiled floors dating from the 1800s.

Paris is just loaded with museums and galleries that we all know about and they're cultural centres for the planet. And if you felt a driving need to see all the famous paintings you've seen published everywhere, you're gonna miss Paris!!! Paris is outside, on the streets, in laneways, alleys, and cemeteries (?!).

In the galleries in Paris, the official policy is "No Cameras Allowed". But most museums seem to be a bit lax in their enforcement of this rule. None of the galleries in Paris demanded I check my camera bag and the Louvre has some galleries where they are strict about the rule and others where it's not an issue. Check out the crowd with Mona Lisa!!!

                      But definitely no tripods or flash, or even mono-pods. Play it smart & play it safe.

I feel one of the most interesting galleries is the little Rodin museum http://www.musee-rodin.fr/ located in the Chateau that was August Rodin's home and studio, and is surrounded by beautiful gardens full of his wonderful work. It won't take up a load of your time, has work to enjoy outside in beautiful, peaceful gardens away from traffic. So there are no issues with photographing this incredible work.

Explore the Paris that is, in itself, a work of art.