Today was a rainy day so we opted to visit the Orsay Museum.   We took the metro to the museum which used to be an old train station. We waited in an awful long line to get through the security check and then bought our tickets. This museum is full of 19th century art, sculpture and furniture. We walked through the first floor gazing at the art and not recognizing any of the artists' names. I know very little about art, but I didn't think I was that ignorant. Then we went to the 5th floor (I have no idea what happened between floors 1 and 5 but they didn't exist). Finally, I recognized this art! The great impressionists Monet, Manet, Renoir, and other names I knew and art I recognized. Monet's "Blue Water Lilies" was magnificent, as was his "Women in the Garden."  They have quite a few pieces in several rooms, probably two dozen or so Monet's. Degas' ballerinas were there, in all their glory.  I think we saw over a dozen paintings by Degas. They had several Van Gogh's, too. I loved the Renoir's, too. Here is a listing of all the pictures they have and it is impressive, indeed. http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/painting.html.

We also saw a gorgeous display of art deco style furniture . The curving lines and beautiful carving and inlaid detail were really amazing. Lots of sculpture by Rodin and other artists lined the halls.

The building that houses the Orsay Museum is quite a masterpiece of architecture in itself. It used to be a train station and the ceiling is five stories tall, a massive curved half dome that is set with carved flower medallions and all sorts of metal and carved decoration. A massive clock on the fifth floor looks out over the city of Paris.  The building is hard to describe, but believe me, it was as impressive as the art it holds. We really enjoyed seeing such magnificent art in such an impressive architectural setting.