"Van Gogh enjoyed the fine evenings and starry skies of the Midi region in southern France and the 'effects of night' intrigued him. In September 1888, he wrote from Arles that he went 'to paint the stars', seeking to transcribe that which is 'darkness but nonetheless colours'. The banks of the Rhone provided Van Gogh with a composition where the night light and its reflections enabled him to give body to the elements sky, earth and water. The sky dominates the composition ,painted in cobalt blue with wide energetic and spontaneous brushstrokes. The Great Bear is clearly visible, and the stars are painted in outwardly radiating strokes with thick white highlights at their centre, sometimes applied straight from the paint tube. Amid the multitude, the artist has scratched a number of unformed rosettes within the paint layer." 

Starry Night Over the Rhône (September 1888) is one of Vincent van Gogh's paintings of Arles at nighttime. It was painted at a spot on the bank of the Rhône River that was only a one or two-minute walk from the Yellow House on the Place Lamartine which Van Gogh was renting at the time. The night sky and the effects of light at night provided the subject for some of his more famous paintings, including Cafe Terrace at Night (painted earlier the same month) and the later canvas from Saint-Rémy, The Starry Night.

A sketch of the painting is included in a letter van Gogh sent to his friend Eugène Boch on October 2, 1888.

The painting was first exhibited in 1889 at the annual exhibition of the Société des Artistes Indépendants in Paris, together with the Irises. The latter was added by Theo, while Vincent had proposed one of his paintings from the public gardens in Arles, most probably the version now in the Phillips Collection.

Even if the descriptions may sound complicated! It's fine as the museum is great even if you "know nothing" about art. The paintings here are so famous that you may have seen them used in pop culture. For example, the painting of Whistler's Mother was featured as a major plot element in the 1997 Rowan Atkinson film Bean.

Whistlers Mother, 1871

There are many other paintings that you will have to see to believe. They are as good as photographs! Below is the painting of "The Comeback of the fisheries" by Joaquin Sorolla.



The Come Back of the Fisheries' Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida


The exterior of Musée D'Orsay

What you need to know:

- The Museum is closed on Mondays.

- 09.30 am - 6 pm on Tuesday to Sunday with late openings on Thrusdays until 9:45pm

- Audio guides are available in French, German, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and Russian for €5.

- "Children" under the age of 18 enters for free.

- No entry fee on the First Sunday of each month

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Chilling out by the Eiffel Tower?  Photo: AFP

Summer isn't over just yet with Paris expecting temperatures in the mid to high thirties this week. But don't let the heat keep you indoors - there are plenty of ways to enjoy it in Paris.

Grab your wattle bottle and get out there.

1. Take a swim in an outdoor pool


(The Piscine Josephine Baker. Photo: AFP)

There are around 40 public swimming pools in Paris. Obviously, you want to avoid the heated ones, so check out some of the excellent outdoor options.

We recommend the Josephine Baker pool (pictured above) which is actually floating on the River Seine in the 13th arrondissement. And don't miss the Piscine Georges Hermant in the 19th, an Olympic-size swimming pool featuring a massive retractable roof. And then there's the centre aquatique de Neuilly-sur-Seine is great for families and those who want to relax.

And if you are feeling flush then why not head to the historic Molitor pool - the birthplace of the bikini that recently opened after refurbishment.

Cool rating: 8 out of 10. Yes, you're swimming, but so is everyone else.

2. Head to a church


(The interior of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Photo: bvi4092/Flickr)

While it's unlikely you'll ever find the Notre Dame cathedral as empty as in the picture above, it's the perfect place to cool down. In fact, we suggest you head to any stone church in the city for a welcome drop in temperature. And the less well-known the church, the less likely you're going to have to queue up.

Cool rating: 9 out of 10. Churches are often extremely quiet too, a welcome relief in Paris.

3. Find some shade in a public park


(Photo: AFP)

Do like the French do - take a book and a bottle of water to one of the city's public parks and sit under a tree. Using a chair for your feet, like in the picture above, is optional. If you don't mind a few tourists, check out the Jardin du Luxembourg on the Left Bank or the caves and waterfalls of Buttes Chaumont in the 19th (though it can be tough to find shade when it's busy).

Or perhaps the best option is head out to the edge of the city whether it's the Bois de Vincennes in the east or Bois de Boulogne in the west. It may cost a few euros to enter the botanical gardens at Vincennes - but it's worth it.

Cool rating: 7 out of ten. Getting there might mean having to take the Metro but the shade will be a relief once there.

4. Eat ice cream on Ile Saint Louis


(Photo: Ladyous/Flickr)

Cross a bridge to the Ile Saint Louis and find one of the places selling Berthillon ice cream. They're not hard to spot, there's usually a queue out the front. But once the first drop of ice cream touches your tongue, you won't regret the wait. While you're there, wander through the tiny island, and the neighbouring Ile de la Cité which features the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Cool rating: 8 out of 10. The ice cream is cold, but the tourist crowds might be unbearable.

5. Go shopping at the Grands Magasins (yes really)


(Shopping at the Galeries Lafayette. Photo: AFP)

While the queues and the crowds associated with shopping might be your idea of hell, heading to one of the Grands Magasins might actually be the best remedy for the excessive heat. The biggest ones are mostly air conditioned, and it can be quite pleasant strolling through some of your favourite shops in the cool breeze while the rest of the country sizzles.

If the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps are definitely not your thing, you can always do some serious aisle searching in Picard, the frozen food supermarket.

Cool rating: 7 out of 10. You're still shopping, after all.

6. Hire a boat at La Villette


(Photo: AFP)

On the north side of the Bassin de la Villette, an artificial lake that connects the Canal de l'Ourcq and the Canal Saint-Martin, you can rent out an electric boat from Marin d'Eau Douce.

The cheapest option is €40 for an hour, but the cost decreases on a per/hour basis the longer you take it. There are roofs on the boat to keep the sun away. And there's normally a decent breeze.

Cool rating: 8 out of 10. It will still be sweltering out there.

7. Play in the Trocadero fountains



How else to celebrate summer than to splash about in a Paris fountain with gay abandon? A particular favourite is the Trocadero fountains by the Eiffel Tower (pictured above).

Cool rating: 8 out of 10. This is only a temporary relief - wear sun cream and get some shade.

8. Watch a movie


(La Géode in the 19th has a massive screen. Photo: Coolmonfrere/Flickr)

This is an easy one, but highly recommended when it's sizzling. Cinemas in France are almost all air conditioned, and an ideal way to escape the sunshine for a while. But be warned - some films that were originally in English may be dubbed into French for the silver screen. Look out for films marked with "VO" (version originale), which means they'll be in the original language with French subtitles.

Cool rating: 10 out of 10. Especially if you catch a good film.

9. Head to the hotels


(Photo: Le Meurice)

Fancy a gin and tonic in a cool setting? Why not head to one of the nicer hotels in the city? Of course, a hotel like Le Meurice near the Louvre musuem will charge you €28 for a single Gin and Tonic (we found that out the hard way), but some might argue it's worth it, especially with their amazing bar (pictured above).

Most would argue that there are cheaper and better options available (and certainly cheaper drinks!).

Cool rating: 9 out of 10. These places are excellent, but pricey. Do not buy a round for your friends.

10. Find a shaded terrace


(Having a drink on a cafe terrace in Montmarte. Photo: AFP)

Why head to a fancy hotel when you can perch yourself in a shady terrace and knock back a citron pressé, (a kind of French lemonade). There are loads of terraces to choose from, but a particular crowd favourite is in Montmartre in the north of Paris. People watching at its finest.

Cool rating: 9 out of 10. Make sure to ask for plenty of ice.

11. Honorable mention - Go deep underground



The catacombs are probably one of the coolest places in the whole city - and as they're underground they're delightfully cold year round. BUT, and this is a big but, waiting times in this season can easily reach three hours, which means unless you arrive very early indeed, "the world's biggest graveyard" might not be the best way to keep cool.