Paris in July: My Favorite Place in Paris (No, It's Not What You Think)

It's the first place I visited in Paris. 

That's probably why I love it so much.

We went there the first day on my first visit to Paris. It was quiet. Beautiful. Almost empty. A secret treasure.

The roses were extraordinary. Startlingly magnificent colors, as if handpainted. But with a deep rose scent, too.

We took time to smell the roses. You do that in Paris.

And, then, from far away, I saw it. 

There it was. 

My favorite statue in my favorite garden in my favorite city.

We explored the entire garden. It is hard to believe that this huge garden is right in the middle of the busy city of Paris. Such a perfect place.

When I knew I was coming back to Paris, I knew I had to revisit this place.

It was just as wonderful the second time.

Part of the garden was closed off this time. There was to be a wedding that night in the garden.

So we didn't get to see everything. But I saw more stories this time, I think.

The couple watching, a bit enviously, I imagine, as the area for the wedding was set up.

Two employees, talking together quietly, two employees who get to experience this magnificence every day, their normal working environment.

A visitor, trying to capture that beauty.

A group of French school children, enjoying a statue. Look at the little girl's face.

So much beauty.

From Wikipedia:

The Musée Rodin in Paris, France, is a museum that was opened in 1919, dedicated to the works of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. It has two sites: the Hôtel Biron and surrounding grounds in central Paris and just outside Paris at Rodin's old home, the Villa des Brillants at Meudon (Hauts-de-Seine). The collection includes 6,600 sculptures, 8,000 drawings, 8,000 old photographs, and 7,000 objets d’art. The museum receives 700,000 visitors annually.

While living in the Villa des Brillants, Rodin used the Hôtel Biron as his workshop from 1908 and subsequently donated his entire collection of sculptures (along with paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir that he had acquired) to the French State on the condition that they turn the buildings into a museum dedicated to his works.

The Musée Rodin contains most of Rodin's significant creations, including The Thinker, The Kiss, and The Gates of Hell. Many of his sculptures are displayed in the museum's extensive garden. The museum includes a room dedicated to the works of Camille Claudel.

The museum is one of the most accessible museums in Paris. It is located near a Metro stop, Varenne, in a central neighborhood, and the entrance fee is very reasonable. The gardens around the museum building contain many of the famous sculptures in natural settings. Behind the museum building are a small lake and casual restaurant.

For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken and then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at West Metro Mommy Reads.

Please join the weekly meme at An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

Il est Juillet et il est temps pour le merveilleux Paris in July hosted by Thyme for Tea! (*It is July and it is time for the wonderful Paris in July!)