I took a sneaky shot in the Musée D'Orsay this weekend. As is fairly evident from the architecture, it used to be a railway station, though it only actually served as a mainline station from 1900-39, as the platforms were too short for newer, electrified trains. It opened as an art gallery in 1986, and today houses impressionist works (Dégas, Monet...) as well as a lot of Van Gough.
It's well worth a visit, if only to see the impressive ceiling! - Lucy
@ivan Thanks Ivan! Technically you're not allowed to take photos inside anymore, which is a massive shame! The Louvre lets you so I don't understand why the Orsay doesn't! - Lucy
@dolphin I enjoyed the bits of it we saw, but we didn't stay too long. As we didn't have to pay we didn't feel obliged to look at things we weren't interested in, and the Van Gogh's had been moved into an exhibition that you have to pay for at the moment. Typical! - Lucy
@bkbinthecity Me too Brian, given it had such a short life as a station! Although the underground suburban trains (RER) still use the underneath as a station - Lucy
@pjr Thanks Pete. I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoy the Louvre, but there's definitely plenty to appreciate in the Orsay. I'll have to go again on a week day, it was full of people this weekend, as one might expect! - Lucy
