We started with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. We had not visited it on previous trips, so it was one of the few things we wanted to do for sure during this time in Boston.
It was a fascinating place. The famed courtyard is as beautiful as what I've seen in pictures. No photographs are allowed in "The Palace," as they call it. Probably just as well, or it would have taken twice as long to walk through. The courtyard alone would have consumed a fair number of spaces on my memory card. Ms. Gardner indulged quite a penchant for collecting--Egyptian, Asian, Spanish, French, but especially all things Italian. Furniture, statuary, tiles, books, lace, and--oh my--the paintings. She had a fabulous collection of John Singer Sargents. I doubt any other museum could claim as many.
We were glad to finally see this special place. But on to the Museum of Fine Arts. It's only a few blocks away from the Gardner, but we made it a leisurely stroll, because it was now in the mid-90's and feeling every degree of it (or more, with the addition of the humidity).
Our focus was the legendary Japanese wood block print collection. Only a tiny portion of the collection of 50,000 prints was on display, and it was not a topic that particularly interested us. Nice, but not as tempting to linger.
We decided to walk through the Contemporary Art section, enroute to the European. We're glad we did, because they have an interesting collection. (The second picture below is a detail of the first, which was made of bottle caps and neckbands.)
Then we got to spend some nice time in the presence of the Impressionists. Always a treat.
A little snippet of Degas, Pissarro, and Van Gogh for your enjoyment.
Deciding we'd had enough of museums for one day, we wandered through the American Art area on our way to the rotunda and exit. Another fortunate decision.
A Massachusetts weather vane.
And the famous Childe Hassam view of "Boston Common at Twilight." You come to a doorway into a gallery, and there it is, centered on the wall ahead of you and perfectly lit. It was one of those "aha moments."
We returned to our hotel in time to freshen up and walk to a nearby restaurant (really--only a 5-minute walk!), where we met good and long-time friends, Terry and Ann, who moved to the Cambridge area earlier this year. What a perfect way to end the day. We shared lots of catch-up stories and lots of laughter. We hated to see them head for the T, knowing it would be some time before we could share time together over a meal again.
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