Our third day in Paris was full of artists - both visual and musical. (Although, I've learned that any day with Rach is a musical day!! love it!)
We started the morning late, but as Sandy always says, "You're in France - don't worry about the time!" Our breakfast included fruit and yogurt from the outdoor market again. (I just love picking out my food fresh from the market...it's one of my favorite parts of Europe!)
Being the first Sunday of the month, it was free museum day! Our first stop was the Louvre. Thanks to our bike tour guide, we knew about a special entrance that enabled us to bypass the 2-hr line (if you ever go, it's the entrance along the Seine with two large, green lions). Woohoo. Score one for us.
Inside the Louvre are seemingly endless hallways which are decorated in awe-inspiring ways. There is gold everywhere, and each corner is carefully crafted to the last detail; the ceilings are covered in gorgeous paintings, so you could really just lie on the floor and admire from that viewpoint for a while (if only that were appropriate). Actually, Rach's back was hurting pretty bad that day, so she did lie down on something for a while & spotted a Hello Kitty balloon floating on the ceiling. Ha.
We saw so many paintings and artifacts, but in about 2.5 hours we only saw a fraction. We were told that if you spent just one minute on each item in the museum 24/7, you'd be there for roughly 9 months! Geepers.
Our excursion began with the Egyptians. We really enjoyed the mummies, clothing, jewelry, and sphinx displays. "Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego" anyone? :)
**One thing we've discovered on this trip is that bathroom lines are a great place to meet people. lol. We met an American couple that was touring their grandson around Europe, so we had a nice chat with them. It was little meetings like this, with people who spoke English, that proved to be a real blessing! It gets really frustrating when you're incapable of even small talk with the people around you!
One main reason we went to the Louvre was to see the Mona Lisa. Umm....Bummer!!! The first thing we said when we walked in the room was "It's so small!!" There was a horde of people around the painting, and I think they were all thinking the same thing. lol. Plus, the wall-sized painting just opposite made her look even smaller! Still, it was worth seeing.
We also spent some time walking through the long wing of Italian paintings, from 13th-18th century (we walked backwards, though. haha). It was really interesting to see the changes in dimensions, colors, and subjects as we drifted through time. I only wish Dr.Walford were there to say, "I like it, I don't like it" in his British accent:)
One of the most fascinating wings was of the Greek ceramics and statues. We saw the Venus de Milo statue as well. I've googled her for you :)
"In the early 19th Century the statue was discovered in an underground cavern on the Aegean island of Melos by a farmer digging in his field. It was missing its arms but it is believed that one held a shield while the other held a mirror so that she could admire her own beauty. After a unique series of events, the French acquired the statue and renamed it the Venus de Milo."
Rach was wearing her lucky hat that day, so we were asked by two attendants if we would join them for an afternoon "walk"...then we could go home and tell our American friends how crazy the Parisians were. Obviously, we promptly said no and walked away. Silly boys. I wonder if they ever actually pick up girls like that....
One awful thing was the modern art...I just don't get it. If the artist were there to explain the motivations, emotions, and themes, I would have such a different attitude. But they weren't there. So I just ignored the art. Is that OK?
So, Louvre: "brilliant!" (as Roger and Sandy would say...)
Can I ask what they meant by an afternoon "walk?"
ReplyDelete