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Location Date Mon, 04 August 2014 
1407187740 Mon, 04 August 2014 1407119100 Sat, 02 August 2014 1407019680
Today was set to be dominated by my visit to the Louvre and it was just that. So much so that I was unable to proceed afterwards to visit the Cathedral de Notre Dame, so I shall save that for next time. My feet decided to join my calves in complaining, so I took several opportunities in the museum to rest them.
Having bought my ticket online last night, I proceeded this morning to the FNAC store down the street to print it out. I then headed through a different path to yesterday's wanderings to head for the Jardin des Tuileries so that I could have breakfast at Cafe Diane again. They remembered me from yesterday, which made ordering that much easier.
The crowd in the gardens and in the courtyard of the Louvre was much bigger than yesterday and I noticed an increased security presence, which meant that the scam artists and the cheap trinket sellers were being kept away. The signs were everywhere, warning people to watch out for pickpockets, so everyone was keeping a close eye on their handbags and backpacks. It was amusing watching people standing on the many light sconces around the courtyard, so that one of their companions could take their picture as they appeared to be touching the top of the Great Pyramid in the centre of the courtyard.
Prepurchasing my ticket meant that I could use the priority line to get in - much faster than the long line that again stretched around the courtyard and into the inner yard. I descended the staircase under the pyramid into the central reception area and into lots more people. I think i counted six separate ticketing booths for those who had waited in line and the lines there were also quite long.
There were signs for the different wings - Richelieu, Denon, Sully - but I quickly noted the way I wanted to go. On a nearby signboard for the Denon wing, there was a piece of paper which featured a picture of the Mona Lisa and under it were printed the words "La Giaconda" and an arrow. Of course the largest procession of people was in this direction. Since seeing the Mona Lisa was probably my foremost reason for visiting the Louvre, I joined the queue.
The pathway to the Mona Lisa led through several impressive galleries with vaulted ceilings with highly ornate decorations, something that I discovered extended throughout the museum. Walking up one of the many, many flights of sdtairs within the museum, i came upon an incredible statue - the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The statue consists of a carved boat and a winged woman standing on the deck. Although she is missing her head and most of both arms, she is still very impressive.
The next printed sign directs us to the Italian galleries which feature the works of masters from across 600 years. There are some gorgeous paintings here and art students would have a field day. My first view of the gallery was of a long vaulted chamber - my first thought was "Man, this place is HUGE!". In between the painting were situated busts of Caesars, Egyptian rulers and examples of citizenry from ancient times. About halfway along the gallery, a sign pointed into another chamber...
...and there I found the Mona Lisa. Now I will admit that it is not an impressive-looking painting. However the mystique that surrounds it does add to the viewing. No other display has so much security around it and only one or two other exhibits drew the same sort of crowds, those being the Venus De Milo and the enormous painting "Le Sacre De Napoleon", both of which I saw and I agree - they are impressive. I took some photos of the Mona Lisa, and then, having fulfilled my main reason for visiting, I decided to just wander around the galleries to see what was on display.
Given that the Louvre is laid out over four floors and each one contains many galleries displaying so much artwork, statuary and objets d'art, the claim that one could not see everything in the museum in one day is well-founded. I am convinced that, while it might be possible to visit every gallery in the museum in a day, it would be impossible to truly experience everything in that time.
After wandering for an hour or so and seeing many statues, paintings and items of jewelry and armour, along with carpets and furniture from many periods of French royalty, I picked up a map to see if there was anything that I should definitely see on this first trip. Two items stood out immediately and I headed off to find them.
The first was in the Egyptian galleries, which contained many sarcophagi, papyrus scrolls, frescoes and statues. In there I found some examples of statuary from the time of Ramses II. I have always loved Egyptian artifacts and these galleries were a treasure trove. Ramses II was a very powerful and influential leader in ancient Egypt and his statuary is some of the most impressive. So much on display from across the many dynasties of the pharaohs, I found myself looking around for a while. However as my calves and feet were making their displeasure known, I headed off to my other target over in the Middle-Eastern galleries.
Passing through a gallery containing large statues of Persian lions with the heads of men, and another which contained the top of one of the huge support columns from the palace of Darius I, I came upon a black stone column which was topped with a carving of King Hammurabi and one of his citizens. The stone appeared to be fairly rough, but when you got closer and looked carefully, you could see that the column was completely covered in small writing - the Hammurabic Code! This was a representation of one of the earliest known sets of laws that were set down so that anyone who read them could understand them. It felt so weird being able to actually see it with my own eyes.
By this time, I had been wandering around the Louvre for about four hours and, as my legs were threatening to go on strike, I decided that my day had run its course and I headed back to the hotel by a familiar and fairly direct route.
Today was a very good day and I was really glad that I had been able to visit the museum. It has always had a bit of a mythical quality for me, as I was never sure that I would ever actually visit it. Now that I have, I am still in awe of the place.
Well, tomorrow is mainly a travelling day as I finish up in Paris and head via the Eurostar and the Chunnel to London. Talk to you all then.
Having bought my ticket online last night, I proceeded this morning to the FNAC store down the street to print it out. I then headed through a different path to yesterday's wanderings to head for the Jardin des Tuileries so that I could have breakfast at Cafe Diane again. They remembered me from yesterday, which made ordering that much easier.
The crowd in the gardens and in the courtyard of the Louvre was much bigger than yesterday and I noticed an increased security presence, which meant that the scam artists and the cheap trinket sellers were being kept away. The signs were everywhere, warning people to watch out for pickpockets, so everyone was keeping a close eye on their handbags and backpacks. It was amusing watching people standing on the many light sconces around the courtyard, so that one of their companions could take their picture as they appeared to be touching the top of the Great Pyramid in the centre of the courtyard.
Prepurchasing my ticket meant that I could use the priority line to get in - much faster than the long line that again stretched around the courtyard and into the inner yard. I descended the staircase under the pyramid into the central reception area and into lots more people. I think i counted six separate ticketing booths for those who had waited in line and the lines there were also quite long.
There were signs for the different wings - Richelieu, Denon, Sully - but I quickly noted the way I wanted to go. On a nearby signboard for the Denon wing, there was a piece of paper which featured a picture of the Mona Lisa and under it were printed the words "La Giaconda" and an arrow. Of course the largest procession of people was in this direction. Since seeing the Mona Lisa was probably my foremost reason for visiting the Louvre, I joined the queue.
The pathway to the Mona Lisa led through several impressive galleries with vaulted ceilings with highly ornate decorations, something that I discovered extended throughout the museum. Walking up one of the many, many flights of sdtairs within the museum, i came upon an incredible statue - the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The statue consists of a carved boat and a winged woman standing on the deck. Although she is missing her head and most of both arms, she is still very impressive.
The next printed sign directs us to the Italian galleries which feature the works of masters from across 600 years. There are some gorgeous paintings here and art students would have a field day. My first view of the gallery was of a long vaulted chamber - my first thought was "Man, this place is HUGE!". In between the painting were situated busts of Caesars, Egyptian rulers and examples of citizenry from ancient times. About halfway along the gallery, a sign pointed into another chamber...
...and there I found the Mona Lisa. Now I will admit that it is not an impressive-looking painting. However the mystique that surrounds it does add to the viewing. No other display has so much security around it and only one or two other exhibits drew the same sort of crowds, those being the Venus De Milo and the enormous painting "Le Sacre De Napoleon", both of which I saw and I agree - they are impressive. I took some photos of the Mona Lisa, and then, having fulfilled my main reason for visiting, I decided to just wander around the galleries to see what was on display.
Given that the Louvre is laid out over four floors and each one contains many galleries displaying so much artwork, statuary and objets d'art, the claim that one could not see everything in the museum in one day is well-founded. I am convinced that, while it might be possible to visit every gallery in the museum in a day, it would be impossible to truly experience everything in that time.
After wandering for an hour or so and seeing many statues, paintings and items of jewelry and armour, along with carpets and furniture from many periods of French royalty, I picked up a map to see if there was anything that I should definitely see on this first trip. Two items stood out immediately and I headed off to find them.
The first was in the Egyptian galleries, which contained many sarcophagi, papyrus scrolls, frescoes and statues. In there I found some examples of statuary from the time of Ramses II. I have always loved Egyptian artifacts and these galleries were a treasure trove. Ramses II was a very powerful and influential leader in ancient Egypt and his statuary is some of the most impressive. So much on display from across the many dynasties of the pharaohs, I found myself looking around for a while. However as my calves and feet were making their displeasure known, I headed off to my other target over in the Middle-Eastern galleries.
Passing through a gallery containing large statues of Persian lions with the heads of men, and another which contained the top of one of the huge support columns from the palace of Darius I, I came upon a black stone column which was topped with a carving of King Hammurabi and one of his citizens. The stone appeared to be fairly rough, but when you got closer and looked carefully, you could see that the column was completely covered in small writing - the Hammurabic Code! This was a representation of one of the earliest known sets of laws that were set down so that anyone who read them could understand them. It felt so weird being able to actually see it with my own eyes.
By this time, I had been wandering around the Louvre for about four hours and, as my legs were threatening to go on strike, I decided that my day had run its course and I headed back to the hotel by a familiar and fairly direct route.
Today was a very good day and I was really glad that I had been able to visit the museum. It has always had a bit of a mythical quality for me, as I was never sure that I would ever actually visit it. Now that I have, I am still in awe of the place.
Well, tomorrow is mainly a travelling day as I finish up in Paris and head via the Eurostar and the Chunnel to London. Talk to you all then.
- comments
Todd Rowlands I can understand how you feel about the galleries. I lost a whole day at the National Gallery in London and didn't get to the Tate Modern as it was getting close to closing time. Your calves and feet will get better but the override switch is usually a long soak in a bath. Look forward to your next posting and review on the Eurostar.
Yoli Lawrence LOL on the Mona Lisa. Mum said the exact same thing. She was at the Louvre in the 60's and there was no security etc around it. She walked past it three times before asking someone where the picture was and it was right behind her. You think it's a much bigger picture! Glad you are having such a wow of a time!