A Weekend Getaway - 18 August 2015 - Tuesday - Philadelphia to Pittsburgh

Today was our last day in Philadelphia and the first that we didn't have to set an alarm. Still woke up early, had breakfast, and then went for a walk through the Reading Terminal Market. The place is full of restaurant, meat and produce stalls, and specialized grocery stalls. Because the weather was so warm and we only had a little cooler with us, we hesitated to buy anything there. But we were filled with great olfactory sensations!

Back to the hotel to load the car and head out for the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Impressionism exhibit. It was only a couple of miles away and would have been walkable save for the heat and the fact that we would have had to have retrieved the car from hotel parking by 3 p.m. The lack of signage for the parking garage had us circling the museum much like National Lampoon's European Vacation. We didn't go to the other side of the museum to see the Rocky statue.

The museum is a treasure trove of masterpieces. I even remembered some of the paintings from Art 101 at Wilson. Thank you Miss Harris. We could take pictures of the permanent collection, but not the special exhibit.

The Impressionism Exhibit told the history of Pierre Durand-Ruel and how he built his galleries and helped the artists of the Impressionism era. It was spectacular and took about 2 hours to see it all. I am anxious to do some more in-depth reading about Durand-Ruel since he also had exhibitions here in Pittsburgh at Gillespie Galleries.

We then visited the other parts of the museum where I discovered two painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder, who just happens to be my 12th great grandfather. He and his son were both painters and very close friends of Martin Luther. It's always fun to search out his paintings.

Cupid, part of a larger painting

Portrait of Joachim II, Elector of Brandenburg

3.92 miles later we got into the car and headed home. Got to listen to the Bucs on the way. It was a great game until the errors caught up with them and sent the game into extra innings. Finally, in the bottom of the 15th we pulled it out and I could go to sleep.

It was a great trip full of different activities and experiences.