During my family's visit we took a petit trip to the petit Palais, the museum of decorative arts and little sister to the Grand Palais which lies on the road opposite. The beautiful thing about this museum is the actual building itself, which I personally found more interesting than the art itself.....but shush don't tell anyone that. Architecture counts as art in my book and I never tire of seeing the wonderful array of buildings that Paris has to offer. Wandering the streets you can find everything from a southern village-style villa to a living building covered in plants (Quai Branly) and an art nouveau facade.
This is exactly why I was so fascinated by the Petit Palais and its incredibly architecture. Inside, the palace is a tribute to the artists that were commissioned to contribute to its design, with mosaic floors, painted frescoes and sculpted sweeping staircases.
The palace is built around an inner courtyard garden, that curves around several water features and shaded walkways lined with sculptures. The gardens are overflowing with green vegetation and the whole place has a feel of natural beauty to it which contrasts with many neatly pruned and carefully cultivated French gardens. The whole museum was so peaceful and we only came across a couple of other tourists.
As always, I just don't believe it's necessary to queue in Paris or to have to push your way through crowds of tourists. The way to see the city in all its glory is make the most of off-peak tourist hours, so post-5pm during the week and early in the morning on the weekends. Perfect for popping to a gallery after work and making the most of a sunny day at the weekend. Having said that, it was not sunny when we visited the Petit Palais, not that it stopped us from enjoying it at all.
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Thanks for all your messages, I really appreciate each and every one! B x