Wednesday started with a trip to the Orangerie, a building located in the Toilleries, not far from our apartment. (The adjacent Place de la Concorde- where many beheadings once took place- was essentially closed for remodeling and so we were unable to see the large Egyptian obelisk located there.)
The Orangerie, once a greenhouse for growing warm-weather fruits for the King, is now a gallery designed by Monet for displaying some large water lily artworks. There also happens to be a substantial art display in the basement of Renoir, Soutine, Matisse, Picasso and others.
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So THAT’s what the Orangerie was for! I always had some vague idea that it was a place used by followers of the Prince d’Orange for something during the Reformation.
On the first tour I ever took of Paris, the young Frenchman who was our guide remarked on the irony that La Place de la Concord was a focal point in the clash between the First Estate and ordinary French people.
I hope you are having a pleasant Christmas Eve.