Monday, May 19, 2014

During the one good weather day we had in Paris, we found the perfect place to stop and smell the roses.

Stretching over three hectares, the Musée Rodin Gardens, located behind the Rodin Museum, is like a secret refuge from the busy Parisian streets. The gardens are divided into three sections – a rose garden to the north of Hôtel Biron, a large ornamental garden to the south and a “relaxation garden” concealed by a tightly manicured hedging at the back.
I loved wandering through the rose gardens here and literally kept stopping to smell the roses because their scent was so marvelous. I always tell hubby that he never stops to smell the flowers, but he finally got into doing so as well.
You’ll also find a multitude of sculptures created by Augustee Rodin, born in 1840. It’s easy to see why he is considered as one of the most remarkable sculptors of his time. In 1908, Rodin personally placed selected works and collected antiques in the overgrown garden behind Hôtel Biron, where he was currently living.
I like how this photo turned out!
One of Rodin’s most popular pieces, “The Gates of Hell,” is located amongst the rose gardens. Interestingly, Rodin started on this sculpture in the late 1800s, after being inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, and worked on “The Gates of Hell” for the rest of his life, without ever seeing it cast in bronze.
 You’ll also find Rodin’s infamous, “The Thinker,” which we enjoyed posing by in the gardens.
Hubby and I playing around by Rodin's sculptures.  
In 1916, after a serious stroke, Rodin offered to donate all his works to the French government in three stages on condition that Hôtel Biron be converted into a museum in his honour. In 1919, the museum opened to the public for the first time, two years after Rodin’s death.

We had such a beautiful day that we preferred to stroll around the Musée Rodin Gardens rather than being inside the museum itself. 

If you’re ever in Paris, I can certainly recommend stopping to smell the roses with Rodin too.
Such beautiful roses!

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6 comments:

jaz@octoberfarm said...

rodin is one of my favorites. what a gorgeous garden!

Joy said...

Definitely! Would love to see it as the seasons change!

Lois B said...

What a beautiful garden! We visited a chateau in the Loire Valley where Rodin spent time with Camille Claudel, so I had to find the movie about their relationship to watch. Not exactly my usual romantic comedy, but interesting!

Joy said...

Indeed! I'll have to look up that movie!

Unknown said...

I will visit Paris for the first time next summer. I'm really looking forward to it. BTW could anybody recommend me a nice centric hotel?. I'm about too book on http://reservationcounter.com/ but I'd like to have some "insider info" before doing so ;)

Anonymous said...

We have been there when roses were amazing. Thanks for the pleasant reminder of a morning well spent in Rodin's garden.