Musée Hopping

I don't have class on Wednesdays so I have been using this day to explore the city. This Wednesday, I decided  to go to Invalides and to Musée Rodin.

Hôtel des Invalides

This place is huge! It houses several military/army museums and Napoleon's tomb. I ended up going to the one that had history from Louis XIV to Napoleon and the World War I/World War II museum. They had a lot of the military gear worn and the weapons used during all the wars in those periods. The World Wars museum also had pictures and movies, which made it more interesting. I didn't go to all of them because it's not really something I'm into, but it was a great experience!

Entrance to Les Invalides

My favorite part was definitely Napoleon's tomb. His body is actually in six coffins in the middle of this circular room. There are two levels to this room-- so you can see it from above and at ground level. You can't really tell from this picture but it's huge! I guess you can look at the people in the picture to get an idea of how big it really is.

Napoleon's Tomb

 The whole building is very impressive and the amount of detail is unbelievable. I also really liked this altar which was completely decorated in gold and marble.

Musée Rodin

The second museum I went to was the Musee Rodin, which is dedicated entirely to the sculptor with a few paintings from other famous artists. This museum wasn't as old as the other ones I've been to but it was just as pretty. There are gardens in the front and the back but I didn't really get to see them because I got there right before it was closing. Either way, I plan on going back in the spring when everything is blooming. Oh, and you can see Les Invalides on the right in this picture.

Musée Rodin

Travel Update:

I haven't left Paris since I've been here, which I'm okay with, but I'll be leaving it for the first time this weekend. On Saturday, I'm going to Chartres which is about an hour away from the city via train. I have also started planning my travels for break at the end of the month. Right now the plan is to go to Berlin, Munich, Prague, and Vienna. So excited!