I’m not a particularly huge fan of art, but Vincent van Gogh has always been one of my favorite painters. There is something very different about the way he paints and the colors he uses that makes me feel very peaceful and at ease. Today, I was able to make my way to the Musée d’Orsay to see van Gogh’s paintings, a trip I missed because I was in Italy. I was a little nervous that I wasn’t going to find the time to make it there since the final week here is pretty busy, but I’m happy I was able to fit it in.
Although the area around van Gogh’s two famous paintings, Starry Night Over the Rhône and his self-portrait, was crowded and noisy, it was somewhat easy to block out the noise and the people to be able to admire his works. I have been trying to get to the Museum of Modern Art in New York to see his other Starry Night, but I’m glad that I have managed to see at least one. Guess that’ll be my next trip when I get home.
The Musée d’Orsay itself is just as impressive and beautiful as the art it houses. It’s hard to believe when looking at both the interior and exterior that it was a train station in its past life. According to their website, this was the first time an industrial building was being repurposed to house a major museum. Whoever made the decision to repurpose the old train station made a pretty great decision because there couldn’t be a better location for this museum to sit, especially since it’s right near the Louvre.
Also, I kinda got stuck near part of the Tour de France. I only got a chance to see one cyclist pass by, but still it was pretty cool to see how many people were sitting and waiting, especially since it wasn’t close to the finish line.
That’s so cool that you caught a bit of the Tour de France! The Musée d’Orsay was my favorite museum architecturally. I loved that you could still recognize the parts of the train station that it used to be. I’m glad you got a chance to visit it and see the Van Gogh paintings!