BFF Trip - Paris, France - Day 9

Go big or go home. We did both. 

The Eiffel Tower. 

First thing in the morning is the way to go. 

After a few minutes in line, we bought tickets straight to the top and got this iconic view of Paris. 

We also incorporated our sequined cat ears because where else would one wear sequined cat ears?

The Musee L'Orangerie is new to me, and what an unexpected treat. The impressionist collection is excellent but not overwhelming, and it is well-curated for a fantastic, focused experience. 

There's Picasso, Monet, Renoir, all the names I know, but these emotional dancers in shades of pastels and gray by Marie Laurencin are my newest love.The fluidity of the brushstrokes makes them look almost like they are moving. 

They have two oval rotundas on the upper floor. A spacious skylight filters natural sun and gives life to these grand works by Monet. Three continuous canvases wrap around each room, an immersive experience that takes me back to the gardens of Giverny. The highlight of the museum and the highlight of this entire trip. 

I never new much about sculpture, and it never interested me much until we visited the Musee Rodin. A mansion with an art garden both inside and out, this smaller exhibit is well-curated and informative. 

I never understood his work until I saw it up close. The faces are so alive, the expressions so real, I feel like they could speak. Their eyes say it all, and it's as if there is a soul within each sculpture, waiting to leap out into the world. 

The details on the Gates of Hell are so beautifully intricate. 

And this. The Cathedral, a safe space created by the most beautiful hands, entwined but barely touching. They cup an energy between them, a union that draws the eye. 

Notre Dame de Paris. 

Gothic architecture, 

elaborate stained glass. 

A monument to Joan of Arc, one of history's strongest women. 

And this, a surprise. A tribute to Paul Chen, a Chinese martyr, something I didn't expect. 

I saw a silent farewell to France as we board the train back to London. I don't know when I'll be back again, but even after a second trip, there are so many places I would visit and so many I would return to again. Paris is the city of lovers, but I think they call it that because so many fall in love with the city.