The weather is supposed to be lovely for the remainder of the week. So we've got our two day Paris museum pass in hand and we're going to see how much we can pack into two days.
We start by heading to the Louvre. Yes, the Louvre is an amazing art museum, but the building itself is an amazing sight to see. It was the palace of kings from the 1100's to the late 1600's. And those kings knew how to decorate!! No expense or detail was spared. Just seeing the ceilings of this building would be more than worth the price of admission.
This place is huge and nothing can prepare you for its enormity. Even though I had told John and Jacque that it was huuuuuge, John stood there dumbstruck. He said he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it with "his very own eyes". He's used this phrase a few times, claiming that he can't believe he's seen such things as the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower, and now the Louvre with "his very own eyes." Believe me, it is impressive!! It is over 650,000 square feet, if that helps you picture its size.
The Louvre is so much more than an art museum! It is a museum extraordinaire with Egyptian antiquities, African art, Greek statues, etc. etc. etc. Also on display are some of the kings' furniture and "things". The jewels and craftsmanship are beyond amazing!
this beautiful case is only about five inches tall from top
to bottom; the detailed craftsmanship is awe inspiring
And, of course, there's the art that you were somewhat expecting....just amazing, beautiful, jaw dropping art work that you thought you'd only read about.
We've been lost in a car and we've been lost on foot. Today the inevitable happened. We got lost from each other. When we entered the Louvre, we got audio guides...an invaluable tool when viewing such amazing art work and artifacts. John's passport was exchanged for the audio guides. As time went on, John and Jacque got separated from the two of us. No big deal! We had talked about how this was their first visit and we had been there before so we'd all go at our own speed. The problem develops when I want to return my audio guide. They need to be returned together to get the ID back. Well....what do we do now? We sit near the audio guide stand for quite awhile. We try texting and phoning which don't work in this building. After waiting about an hour, I notice that there's a friendly woman working at the stand and I stop in again to explain our plight. She comes up with a solution and we're allowed to leave without putting John's passport at risk.
We get outside and try to decide where a good place to wait will be. Voila! There's a restaurant on the grounds overlooking the exit. Le Cafe Marly looks quite fancy with its classic French waiters and linens. We look a bit frumpy in our museum attire, amidst diners in their Paris best. But there are a few other tables with frumpy tourists as well. We look at the menu. A hamburger for $36! But we find something to eat and drink and enjoy the view. And believe it or not...we eventually meet up with our traveling partners!
To top the day off, we also visited Sainte Chapelle, which is known for its gorgeous stained glass.
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