Paris Museums & Daytrips from Paris

Let them eat cake at the Louvre -
PARIS: SMALLER MUSEUMS OFFER SPECTACULAR ARTWORKS AND THE ELBOW ROOM TO APPRECIATE THEM
Deanna MacDonald
The Globe and Mail, April 28, 2007

I am going to say something rather shocking: the next time you are in Paris, skip the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Centre Pompidou. Don't get me wrong: I love Paris' big museums. However, as the focus of every guidebook-wielding tourist, these museums, despite their colossal halls of masterpieces, can feel as packed as a métro car at rush hour. And there is more to Paris' museum scene than elbowing your way through the masses to glimpse the inscrutable La Joconde.
Paris is filled with bite-sized art treasures. These are the museums that Parisians love to visit - smaller collections where you can spend an afternoon among 12th-century Khmer Buddhas or Impressionist water lilies; intimate places where you can sip a café crème under a Tiepolo fresco or examine the brass bed where Marcel Proust wrote his masterpieces.
These museums entice visitors to a more human-scaled art scene in the posh western arrondissements (8th and 16th) and in the hip, historic Marais (3rd and 4th), just east of the centre. The Louvre may be the sun of the Paris art universe, but there are countless stars out there as well. To find them, all you need is a map, a métro ticket and a penchant for art and beauty.
Asia in Paris

For many Parisians, one of their favourite museums has nothing to do with French art. And from my first moments in the superbly designed Musée Guimet, I understood why. I was surrounded by Hindu sculpture, Tibetan paintings, Thai bronzes and Chinese ceramics of unparallelled elegance, all set out with Zen-like simplicity in polished slate and silver rooms.
Dedicated to the arts of Asia, the museum was founded by industrialist and collector Emile Guimet in 1889 and now has more than 45,000 objects from Neolithic times onward. However, to the visitor's benefit, the curators have chosen only the best pieces for display over five floors. The layout, arranged by country, is easy to follow, and with the help of a free (English) audio guide, visitors can learn about the basics of Buddhism, Hinduism and various aspects of art production and history. In one visit, I learned about Greek influence on first-century Afghani Buddhist art, the influence of 18th-century Japanese prints on the French Impressionists and that women played polo in Tang Dynasty (seventh-10th centuries) China (an entire team of ceramics figures is on display). The museum also offers a series of lectures and workshops (in French) on everything from No theatre to Cambodian shadow puppets, and the museum café offers delicate teas and an Asian-themed lunch menu. The whole experience is a taste of Asia served up with French flair.

Far from the Monet crowds

Visitors to the Musée de l'Orangerie near the Place de la Concorde often stand in long lines to see Claude Monet's celebrated water lilies. Luckily, Paris has even more of Monet's Nymphéas at the Musée Marmottan-Monet, which offers an appropriately tranquil setting near the Bois de Boulogne for the world's largest private collection of paintings by the legendary Impressionist. The museum, housed in a 19th-century hunting lodge, was originally dedicated to the First Empire collections of Paul Marmottan, but thanks to many generous donations, it now houses an eclectic mix of modern art (not only Monet masterpieces but also works by Manet, Renoir, Morisot and others), a spectacular collection of medieval illuminations and an entire floor of Empire-style rooms straight out of a Napoleonic film. But the star attraction is the stunning collection of Monets donated by his son, Michel. He had inherited some of his father's most iconic works, from the 1874 seascape Impression, Sunrise, which gave the Impressionist movement its name (and which was famously stolen at gunpoint in 1985 and recovered five years later) to huge canvases of shimmering water lilies completed by an elderly Monet at Giverny in the 1910s.

La belle époque

While Monet was exploring the simplicity of light and colour, others of his generation indulged in the lavish style of the belle époque, nowhere better represented than at the Musée Jacquemart-André. Like a step back into the late 19th-century, every corner of this lush Beaux-arts mansion is draped in velvets, silks and crystal chandeliers; you almost expect Baudelaire or Haussmann to appear at any moment from behind a brocade curtain. But it is the art collection that really amazes: antiquities from ancient Egypt, masterworks of the Italian Renaissance, paintings by Rembrandt, Boucher and Fragonard - all of them collected by the unconventional couple Edouard André and his wife, painter Nélie Jacquemart. He was a banking heir and ladies' man, she a self-made painter from a working-class background. They shared a love of art and beautiful things and spent their lives using his fortune to amass a huge collection. Today the museum remains a favourite with those in the know, in particular for its plush café, complete with a Tiepolo ceiling fresco.

Cozy, too

Jacquemart and André had a taste for luxury, but not all collecting couples took the same approach, as evidenced by the charmingly modest Musée Cognacq-Jay. This cozy collection of 18th-century objets d'art and paintings, including works by Reynolds, Ruysdael and Caneletto, is the work of Ernst Cognacq, founder of the Samaritan department store, and his wife, Marie-Louise Jay. Located in a 16th-century mansion on a narrow street in the Marias, the Cognacq-Jay is but one of several museum gems in this historic neighbourhood, which has gone from being aristocratic in the 17th century to a slum in the 19th and the sought-after address of the Parisian boho set today. The results are cobblestone streets of designer boutiques, trendy restaurants and museums all housed in superb hôtels particuliers, the loveliest of them all being the Musée Carnavalet.

For Paris lovers
No one who has ever wandered through Paris and wondered about how this magnificent city came into being should miss this museum. Located in the 16th-century mansion that was once the home of Madame de Sévigné, the Musée Carnavalet recounts more than 2,000 years of Parisian history. Every era is brought to life with period décor, artworks and artifacts. There are Roman jewels and Egyptian gods from first-century Lutèce (Roman Paris); a painting of 17th-century Paris in which Montmartre is covered with windmills and St-Germaine-des-Près is a field; revolutionary tableware painted with political slogans ("Off with their heads" and such); and even the cork-lined bedroom of beloved novelist/hypochondriac Proust. It is every Parisophile's dream museum.
*****

Pack your bags
GETTING THERE
Air France flies direct to Paris from Toronto and Montreal daily. 1-800-375-8723; http://www.airfrance.ca.

THE MUSEUMS
Musée Guimet: 6, place d'Iéna (16th); 33 01 56 52 53 00; http://www.guimet.fr. Admission: $9.
Musée Marmottan Monet: 2, rue Louis Boilly (16th), 33 01 44 96 50 33; http://www.marmottan.com. Admission: $12.
Musée Jacquemart-André: 158, boulevard Haussmann (8th); 33 01 45 62 11 59; http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com. Admission: $14.50.
Musée Cognacq-Jay: 8, rue Elzévir (3rd); 33 01 40 27 07 21; http://www.paris.fr/musees/cagnacq_jay. Admission: free.
Musée Carnavalet - Musée de l'histoire de Paris: 23, rue de Sévigné (3rd), 33 01 44 59 58 58; http://www.paris.fr/musees/musee_carnavalet. Admission: free.

Article #2:
DAY TRIPS FROM PARIS
Deanna MacDonald
Montreal Gazette, Saturday, March 17, 2007

It is hard to believe, but even Parisians need a break from life in their fabulous city. And where do they go? Not far, for less than an hour away are a multitude of non-urban attractions: (former) royal forests criss-crossed with hiking trails, quiet villages where artists like Millet and Corot once painted, cathedral towns and chateaux with centuries of history and fascinating museums. So pack your day pack, buy your train ticket and head off to experience another facet of life in the Ile de France.

Fontainebleau and Barbizon:

Rock-climbers, history buffs, outdoor enthusiasts, art connoisseurs -- Fontainebleau draws them all as few other places do. This small town grew up next to one of France's most elegant chateaux and a royal forest that was once the king's private hunting ground. The chateau and forest, only 65 kilometres south of Paris, are among the best-preserved in the country. Weekend trains to Fontainebleau quickly fill with day trippers.

Fourteen monarchs lived at Fontainebleau, and each left his mark. The palace is surrounded by 300 hectares of formal gardens with fountains, classical statuary and carp ponds that are a prime spot for weekend strolls. The 25,000-hectare forest is filled with marked trails for more extensive hikes, and rocky outcrops popular with climbers.

Barbizon, a small village of yellow-stone houses at the forest's edge, became a meeting place for artists, writers and poets. Today, it continues to draw would-be artists and weekend walkers.

Getting there: Train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau takes 45 minutes. Ask for the Fontainebleau forfait (21.50 euros for a return train ticket, bus connection, chateau entrance and audio guide).
For Barbizon, take a local bus (10-minute ride) from Fontainebleau or bring your hiking shoes and follow the trails through Fontainebleau's forest. Hiking maps are available at the Fontainebleau tourist office.
More information: Fontainebleau, www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr; Barbizon, www.barbizon-tourisme.com; both, www.uk.fontainebleau-tourisme.com.


Chartres

Towering above the banks of the Eure River, Chartres is perhaps the most glorious of all France's cathedrals. Its tall, uneven spires continue to draw pilgrims (and tourists) to this town southwest of Paris as they have done for nine centuries.
Though early pilgrims would have walked the 90 kilometres from Paris, modern visitors can opt for a frequent, one-hour train from Gare Montparnasse to visit this UNESCO world heritage site.

The cathedral of Notre Dame in Chartres is an extraordinary example of the French Gothic style, its amazing stained-glass windows one of the most complete set of medieval stained-glass in the world. An inspiring day can be spent exploring the cathedral and the town, which is a tangle of narrow, cobblestone streets with their wood-frame buildings and museums.
Visit the Musee des Beaux Arts to see masterworks by the likes of Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin and Jean-Antoine Watteau, or learn medieval stained-glass techniques at the International Centre of Stained Glass (www.centre-vitrail.org). Or just find a seat on a cafe terrace near the cathedral and be inspired.

Getting there: Train from Gare Montparnasse takes about one hour. More information: www.chartres-tourisme.com.

Chateau de Malmaison

Considered in her day as one of the most fashionable women in France, Josephine de Beauharnais was also one of the smallest. At least, that was my impression as I looked at her petite, empire-waisted dress. Her dress bills, also on display, were anything but tiny.

These were just a few of the intriguing items on show at the Chateau de Malmaison, an 18th-century pile 15 kilometres northwest of Paris, where Josephine died in 1814. It had been her favourite residence. Here, she and Napoleon, spent some of the their happiest times, far from the bustle of Paris. But today, Paris has come to Malmaison, and the chateau, now part of the suburb of Rueil, is linked to the city by fast, suburban trains known as RER.

Nonetheless, it still feels like a world away. Malmaison's interiors, recreated with period furniture, including Napoleon's gilded red library and office, evoke the classical empire style so a la mode during Napoleon's rule. Josephine was an avid gardener and spent years trying to recreate the lush greenery of her childhood home in Martinique in the grounds of Malmaison. The chateau maintains six hectares of gardens dotted with statuary and flowerbeds, many planted with roses specially developed for Josephine.

Getting there: Take the RER A train to La Defense and bus No. 258 to Rueil-Malmaison. More information: www.chateau-malmaison.fr.
IF YOU GO:
- Getting there: Take the RER A to St. Germain en Laye, about 30 minutes. Information: www.musee- archeologienationale.fr.
- For transport information (schedules, fares, etc.) in the Ile de France region, go to www.transports- idf.com or the SNCF (French rail system) website, www.sncf.fr.
- For more information: See the French Tourist Office website, www.franceguide.com.