We got off the Metro at Place de la Concorde to look around since we had not been in the mood the night before after the pick pocket encounter. Place de la Concorde is the largest place or square in Paris situated along the Seine and separates the Tuilerie Gardens from the beginning of the Champs Elysées. It was known as Place de la Révolution during the French Revolution and was the site where Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Danton, and Robespierre among many others were guillotined.

We walked across the Seine to the Musée d’Orsay.

We hadn’t bought tickets in advance so had to queue for a fair while. We bought roasted chestnuts as we waited in line. Scott and I like them but the kids thought they were awful.

Musée d’Orsay is in a former railway station and holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography, and is probably best known for its extensive collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces (the largest in the world) by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Gauguin and Van Gogh.

Monet

Van Gogh

 

To the north is Place Vendome. We looked but didn’t buy from the many très cher jewellery shops.

The rest of the afternoon was spent Christmas shopping and learning to work the washer and dryer in the flat.