Postcards from Paris: {Musée Rodin}

 

A Parisian recently told me that if it rains two days in a row, and if the third day is just as damp, pick a museum or go to the cinema and skip work completely.

I might be one of the few people who feel invigorated by these autumn rainy days, but I took the advice anyway and went to the Musée Rodin. Even though half of the charm in outdoors, through the garden it is one of my favourite venues in Paris, regardless of the rain. There is something very personal and exclusive by the fact that it was once his residence.  Considered to be one of the largest residences within the city limits, the garden’s peaking views of the Eiffel Tower and of Invalides’ golden dome set an additional backdrop for The Thinker and The Gates of Hell. It takes only a simple stroll through the garden, and one instantly escapes the sounds of the city. Manicured shrubs trimmed into large cones cleverly construe the sculptures until just the right moment. The chestnut trees have become more warm-toned compared to the lush green vegetation, and they’ve scattered their chestnuts everywhere.

In the 1954 version of Sabrina, Audrey Hepburn suggests to Humphrey Bogart that he arrive in Paris on a rainy day because that’s when the chestnut trees smell their sweetest.

That idea stays with me throughout all of the seasons.

Moving onward, and within the grand mansion with creaking parquet wood floors, chipped crown molding, and fireplace mirrors stained forever by the fires that once were relied on to keep such space warm and cozy during winter nights. The idea of coned-shrubs masking the art is true for indoors as well, but instead there are architectural elements unveiling Rodin’s masterpieces. Winding through the different rooms upstairs, I was pleasantly distracted by the atmosphere, when suddenly lit by the light from the window was Cathedral Clasping Hand, with all of its appeared delicateness.

I appreciate the advice of my friend, without it I may have let myself spend the entire day at home. As I was leaving Rodin’s treasured residence I noticed one of his quotes through the giftshop window: “La beauté est partout”

….even on rainy days

Bisous,
Reba