Tuesday (I think) Cao and I went to the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. We were in search of large silver balls that Cao read about, but it turned out they weren't there. It was okay though, because both were pretty cool. We only got to look at the Grand Palais from the outside because they were setting up for an exhibition or something, but it was okay. There was a huge bronze turtle out front so we checked that out before heading across the street to the Petit Palais.
The Petit Palais is the home of a small museum with a permanent collection that is free to check out, and a temporary one that is not. Anyways, it was definitely worth the no money we paid. There were some interesting artifacts in the museum, from a variety of times. There was a bunch of stuff from the times of Louis XIV, XV, and XVI plus some other interesting artwork. Plus there was a courtyard in the middle that was quite beautiful. They also had paintings of dead animals, which seems to have been popular at one point. I've also seen them in the Louvre and in an apartment here.
Today, Cao and I went to see the Palais Royal, the real home of the silver balls. It wasn't very thrilling at all. They were just in two small fountains. It was a bit of a letdown, but the weather was so nice, we just hung around in the courtyard for a while. The scenery was quite nice, so it wasn't a waste at all.
After the Palais we went and visited Parc de Monceau. It's pretty close to where we live, well at least a short metro ride away. It was also very beautiful and it was bustling with kids running around. One unfortunate part was that all the grass and gardens were fenced off. Kind of a look but don't touch approach to nature. It was still a nice place to hang out for a while, and I could see myself going back.
A panorama from the courtyard of the Palais Royal
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