You can't go to Paris and not visit the art museums. To do so would be shameful! Well, at least it would be for someone with an Art History minor. Our first stop on day 2 was the Musee du Louvre, one of the world's largest and most visited museums. We passed through the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, a tribute monument to Napoleon's military victories, on the way to the museum entrance.
We paused momentarily to snap a few pictures, and then we joined the hundreds of other tourists that had already formed a line at the main entrance. After checking our guidebook and double-checking with a security guard, we made the strategic decision to enter through a secondary entrance near Starbucks. Yes, folks, the Louvre has a Starbucks in the basement. Actually, make that TWO Starbucks in the basement! Hey, when you're struggling with jet-lag, option 2 seemed like the way to go. Two birds, one stone. Ha!The guidebook claimed the basement was a little known secret. BREAKING NEWS...the secret is out! The lines were no shorter in the basement, but way more tolerable with a cafe au lait in my hand.
It was hard to imagine the interior of the Louvre being more impressive than the exterior. The former fortress/palace once housed the Kings of France. After the French Revolution in 1789, the Louvre was converted to offices and the first national museum.
The glass pyramid, designed by Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei, was erected during extensive renovations in the 1980's. Originally, the design was met with protests, but today the pyramid is a beloved landmark. Apparently, the French are very critical of their landmarks/monuments. From what I understand, the Tour de Eiffel still hasn't been accepted by Parisians, but it does rank slightly higher than Montparnasse Tower, a modern skyscraper that towers over the city. Life as an architect in France must be rough!
I'll confess the Louvre is a bit overwhelming due to it's size and the number of pieces on display. I read that we needed to establish a set amount of time to spend wandering the exhibits since we were unwilling to dedicate an entire day. We settled on 3 hours and barely scratched the surface.
Luckily, we managed to see all the highlights/showstoppers. They were relatively easy to spot. One just had to look for hoards of people and blinding paparazzi-like camera flashes despite the "No Flash" signs that were EVERYWHERE!
Winged Victory of Samothrace was the first masterpiece we encountered. Believed to be a reconstruction of an original Greek statue that was found in pieces in 1863,
Winged Victory towers over one of main staircases in the Louvre.
With a bit more effort and the assistance of dozens of signs (Clearly, the museum employees were tired of being asked!) directing us to the #1 attraction, we stumbled upon this little lady. Look familiar? The
Mona Lisa is smaller than I expected and encased in protective glass. Hopefully, the glass is tinted because the camera flashing was enough to cause an epileptic seizure. Seriously, how can people ignore the 12 million signs clearing symbolizing NO FLASH?
It's possible that the
Mona Lisa on looked miniature because it was displayed opposite the monstrous
Wedding Feast at Cana. The painting displays Jesus Christ's first miracle, the transformation of water to wine at a wedding in Cana.
I don't know whether we were tired, confused, or simply dazed by the blinding camera flashes, but we spent the next hour or so just wandering the halls of the Louvre. Every square inch of the museum is impressive. In addition to all of the works on display, the structure itself was an amazing work of art. The ceilings, floors, walls, stairways, archways, and columns were all breathtaking.
With time ticking by, we redirected our attention to tracking down the final "must see," the statue of
Venus de Milo.
As we exited the Louvre, our tummies were growling and reminded us that regardless of the time zone it was time for lunch! We made a beeline down Rue de Rivoli to Angelina for their world-famous hot chocolate. YUM! After sampling that tasty treat, Hershey's syrup/powder will never satisfy. Angelina's hot chocolate is thick and rich and mixed with fresh whipped cream. It is heavenly!
The desserts were marvelous, as well. Not all of Paris' masterpieces are on display in a museum!
One could easily argue that the Louvre and Angelina are both tough acts to follow, but the Musee de l'Orangerie was up to the challenge. This stop was one of the highlights of our trip. Time sort of stood still as we gazed upon what very well could be the world's most famous masterpieces, and just as one would expect, the paintings are even more magical in person than the posters, t-shirts, candles, umbrellas, and the thousands of other items imprinted with their likeness.
Claude Monet's water-lily paintings known as
Nympheas should be considered required viewing for everyone! The series of paintings are displayed in two adjacent all white galleries, and their beauty is indescribable. You simply have to see these masterpieces!
Several other Monet pieces are also on display, and in hindsight, we probably should have viewed them first because they paled in comparison to
Nympheas.
Of course, collectively, all the other artists' work on display was equally amazing. Do the names Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse, and Picasso ring a bell?
Knowing that Musee de l'Orangerie would be impossible to top, we switched gears entirely and headed to one of Paris' most famous streets, Rue Saint Honore. Every single major designer has a store within this area. In addition to all of the fashion houses, we saw Place Vendome, one of Paris' many famous squares. The Ritz Paris is located within this square, and to our surprise a large crowd had gathered outside of the hotel. Everyone was hoping to catch a glimpse of Shakira who was scheduled to depart from the hotel at any moment. No disrespect to Shakira, but we had some shopping to do!
Even the Paris Opera in all it's glory wasn't able to distract us very long.
What captured our attention? Laduree with it's whimsical window displays and mouth-watering confections caught our eye.
And, of course, no woman can resist Chanel! Sadly, no purchases were made. Hey, you can't do everything during your first trip. You have to guarantee there will be a reason to book a second trip!
With permanent smiles etched on our faces, we hit the streets ready to tackle the world. The second stop of the day, the Arc de Triomph. Technically, it was our second visit to the monument, but we wanted to retake pictures now that we had showered and didn't look and feel delirious.
From the Arc, we made our way to Trocadero Square and realized why my guidebook listed it as a "must." There is no better place to view the Eiffel Tower!
Of course, you can't simply view the Tower. You have to go to the top! We bypassed the first level and proceeded to level 2 which in my opinion has the best views of the city. The 360 degree views were simply magnificent!
Level 3 was equally impressive, but it was harder to see details in the building and landscape. Hence, my preference for level 2.
Standing on the observation decks, it was impossible to comprehend how the Parisians could label the Tower an eye soar. Hopefully, that's a gross exaggeration of their feelings for this beautiful structure!
Day 3 was probably the highlight of the trip, and that's saying a lot. Sure it's cliche and touristy, but it was a special moment shared with dear friends that we'll remember forever. Just one of the many joys associated with our love of travel!
