Galerie Vivienne

Today was less frenetic, as my feet are sore from walking everywhere. I spent the morning at the Musee d'Orsay for my Mackintosh fix, along with the Art Nouveau exhibits and the Impressionists. This former train station, Gare d'Orsay was built in 1900 to coincide with the Exposition Universelle. It is like a cathedral for the industrial revolution. Thanks to President Giscard d'Estaing it was saved and turned into a museum for the art. Unfortunately there is less Mackintosh on show since the last time I was in Paris. I was also a bit disappointed that you cannot take photographs anymore.

After my cultural morning I crossed the Seine and visited the Galerie Vivienne and Colbert. Galerie Vivienne is the best preserved and most elegant of the original 1800s shopping arcades. It first opened in 1826, and has a fine mosaic floor, intricate brass lamps and graceful glass canopies. All the wooden shop fronts have been restored.

Nearby is one of the most beautiful passageways in Paris, the Galerie Veronica-Dodat. The main attraction is the picture perfect brasserie, Cafe de l'Epoque, where I stopped for a delicious lunch, along with a few glasses of Sancerre.