Thursday, April 19, 2012

Q = Quai d'Orsay and Quai Branly - A to Z

 On the Quai d'Orsay, is the Musée d'Orsay


Musee d'Orsay (MO) near the Quai d'Orsay - by Green Eye


A Quai = a pier or mooring used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers.   There are other variations of this word, but in this post the pronunciation should rhyme with 'day'.  Two examples are the Quai d'Orsay and the Quai Branly in Paris.



Quai d'Orsay is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, part of the left bank of the Seine River, and the name of the street that runs beside it.  The Quai becomes the Quai Anatole France, east of the Palais Bourbon, and the Quai de Branley west of the Pont de l'Alma.



Musée d'Orsay Clock Detail, Quai d'Orsay, by DG Hudson


The Quai d'Orsay, along the banks of the Seine River, has historically been a preferred location for artists to paint.  The Gare d'Orsay, situated at the Quai d'Orsay was finished in time for the 1900 Exposition Universelle and exhibited as the first electrified urban rail terminal in the world.  It was the terminus for the railways of southwestern France until 1939.  The revamped interior of the train station is now the home of the Musée d'Orsay.


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Quai Branly

View of Quai Branly area from Eiffel Tower, by DG Hudson


Quai Branly Museum, or Musee de Quai Branly, is located near the Eiffel Tower in the 7th arrondissement in París.  It features indigenous art, cultures and civilizations from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

The museum contains 267,000 objects in its permanent collection, with 3,500 items from the collection on display.  The museum and the quai are named after the physicist Edourd Branly.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to browse this museum.


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Do you live in an area that has a term similar to 'Quai'?  One alternate is Quay.  Please share in the comments if you know of other variations or pronunciations of this word. 

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References:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gare_d'Orsay  Gare d'Orsay, the train station

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quai_d'Orsay  Info Quai d'Orsay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_du_quai_Branly  Info Quai Branly

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_d'Orsay  Musee d'Orsay Interior view