And still I was unprepared for just how big the place was.

It seemed crazy that this was a Palace before a museum – why would anyone need that much space? That many rooms?

But being a Palace, it was over the top in extravagance and opulence. In many cases the architecture and décor of a room overshadowed the collection of art on display. The place was unbelievable!

Even the floors were exquisite.

And of course the art was great as well, although my favorite collections were on the third floor – Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Van Gough, Henri Edmond Cross, Picasso, Pissaro, Cezanne. And the rooms on this floor were stark with and much less ornate so that you could actually appreciate the art.

I was thrilled that one of favorite painting was on display – Boulevard Monmautre by Camille Pissaro.

After nearly six hours of walking around the museum we still hadn’t seen everything. We had however reached our sensory overload threshold. It was like we were desensitized to any more magnificence.

All that aside, there were some exhibits that were difficult to see due to poor lighting and floor plan maps were scarce (at the end of the day we finally tracked one down, but it was in Spanish). Still, it was a great experience and a fantastic way to spend a day.