Rodin and Napoleon

One of my favorite places in Paris is the Rodin Museum. It is the home of the famous sculpter of The Thinker and the house and gardens are a quiet refuge in the middle of this bustling city. So, we headed over there one afternoon with the whole gang. We also decided to take in Invalides since they’re basically neighbors. It was an interesting juxtaposition in that one man devoted his life to art and beauty, while the other devoted his existence to war and conquest and power. Its confusing to me that in a country that values art and is so proud of its culture the most striking monument to a single man is Invalides. In my opinion there really is nothing admirable about Napoleon, but it seems that the French beg to differ. Anyway, to the Rodin.

Maison de Rodin

Rodin’s home and the Invalides dome.

Katie and me enjoying the lovely gardens.

The flowers were starting to pop!

If you aren’t interested in visiting the house, you can get entry to the gardens only for 1€ – one of the few true bargains in Paris.

Tot and Scott

I didn’t take any pictures of The Thinker or other sculptures as I had previous taken plenty on an earlier visit. If you’re interested, you can see those here.

And then it was a quick walk over to Invalides. We checked out Napoleon’s tomb. And all I can say is that it’s kinda creepy. There was so much work, capital and thought invested in this monument and it just seems so meaningless. But, that’s just me…In many ways it reminded me of the Pantheon - this huge monument to human achievement that is filled with dead people. There’s just something strange about it.

This ceiling is beautifully painted.

And here he lies.

I did like this window – the colors and pattern were refreshingly simple.

And there he is.

“King of Rome”