I am 80 now and was very adventurous in my younger years. I did some things that were dangerous, traveling in the Israel and Jordan desert, not on a tour. My friend from college Carol and I traveled on a shoestring budget and had many adventures including spending the night in a desert police fort near Petra. The police were Bedouin and invited us to stay the night in a guard tower, they were great gentlemen. We visited the U.S. consulate and they said it was dangerous for two young girls age 20 to roam the desert not in a tour. More in another post.
Yes, I fell in love with the Louvre and the beauties and history it contains. Before my senior year in college I spent two months in the summer in Paris on my own, on a strict budget, mainly soaking up the art and architecture of the city. Later my husband and I spent four months there, two in spring and two in December and January. I saw an excellent documentary on the Louvre today and counted up my visits. Thirty in all. Netsukes captivated me, tiny sculptures the size to hold in the palm of your hand. Many sadly were made of ivory.
My most visited areas were the classic Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace, the paintings, the Egyptian treasures and I had a special fondness for the Netsukes, the tiny sculptures you can hold in your hand. After the summer in Paris I completed my major in Art History.
Below is a beautiful Egyptian art work. I am not sure if it is in the Louvre but they have an extensive Egyptian collection.
These two photos show the heroic graceful statue The Winged Victory of Samothrace.
My frequent often daily visits were noted by an older guard who stood near exhibits and he started saying Bonjour to me. That was quite a friendly treat.
In addition to the Louvre a favorite visit was to the old house that had been the studio of Rodin. His sculptures were everywhere, in the studio and out. Another museum I visited several times held the Monet pond and water lily paintings. They were displayed in an oval room in the Jeu de Paumes and went all around the room so it felt like you were surrounded by beauty on all sides, all around.
What are your favorite museums?
20 comments:
Wow! I'm certainly not as well traveled as you are, Terra. I'm impressed by your boldness and adventurous spirit as a young woman. More power to you!
You've had some excellent adventures.
Wow - what memories you have!
I haven't traveled outside the US. I do love the Henry Ford museum near Detroit. It has so many amazing things in it.
Wow! to all of your youthful adventures.
How fortunate to have made so many visits to the Louvre
What a lovely and adventuresome life you have led! 30 visits to the Louvre!!! I live in a small town in the middle of the United States. Trips to art museums are a real treat. I have visited two museums that have Monet in their collection. I can spend hours appreciating the paintings. My favorites are portraits, but there are some special landscapes too.
I do hope you will entertain us with more stories on your desert adventures.
I've visited the Louvre twice and throughly enjoyed both times. In fact, we ran out of time both visits and had to leave because it was closing. I would definitely go back if given the chance. I also really like the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The British Museum is great too. I could spend days at each one and still not see everything. I love the fact that the museums are free in London and have gone many times.
You were a brave young lady going with just your friend in all of those places. I definitely wouldn't do that in today's world.
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy
Oh my gosh, Terra. You really WERE an adventurer. How wonderful was THAT? Wow wow wowsers. You picked a very cultural place to love the most. GOOD FOR YOU. Some people never make memories as you have. Thanks so much for sharing. I love the Smitstonian museums in Washington, D.C. Susan
sweet friend Terra heartfelt congratulations for your recent tour to your favorite place .we did the same recently with family but within the country unlike you. how thrilling to stay in desert .i want to imagine the sky omg 🥹
i can only imagine the serenity and fun you experienced throughout your trip :)
the statues are mesmerizing undoubtedly😍
looking forward to story of your adventures there :)
You were far more adventuresome than me when I was that age. My parents would never have allowed it anyway, not for a girl. My brother spent the summer in Europe after high school, bought a bike over there and off he went.
What an incredible experience let alone multiple visits. The Smithsonian was amazing of course, but we don’t have many around here. I do enjoy historical museums though.
I like visiting museums but I haven't traveled all that much (very little compared to you!) so there aren't any big and famous ones I've re-visited repeatedly. Borås where I've lived 40 years now is an old textile industry town though, and we have a Textile museum that I do keep re-visiting, as besides a permanent exhibition of old machinery etc they also have temporary exhibitions of textile art. We also have two art museums that I sometimes visit to see their current exhibitions.
What an interesting life you have lived. Travelling in the desert with just one other person must have been exciting, and the starry nights would have been outstanding.
You had quite an adventure! I love the local history museums by where I live.
You had some great adventures in your youth and made some wonderful memories. Much better to have those than the feeling of " I wish I had..."
I enjoy visiting museums but don't have a favourite. Hope your week is going well.
A wonderful museum and beautiful exhibits. Unfortunately, I've never been to Paris, but maybe one day the old gardener will get to see this wonderful city and wonderful museum in person.
Very adventurous indeed!
God bless always.
I don't live near any museums and haven't for many years. However the ones in Chicago I have visited years ago and I enjoyed the Art Museum as well as the Natural History Museum.
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