Best of Burgundy Day 15
Best of Burgundy
DAY 15 - 10-03-05 - Monday - Louvre - Paris
We met Ana and Richard and Eduardo, Ciça, and Pedro for breakfast at 8:30. There were hardly any other people in the breakfast room so we had lots of space. At 9 it was time to say goodbye to Ana and Richard as they had to leave on the train and then go through the Chunnel to return to Cornwall.
We were off to spend the day at the Louvre so we quickly got ready, crossed the street, and entered the Metro on the #1 Line that took us from Gare de Lyon right to the museum. We arrived at the Louvre at about 9:30 and had to stand in a long line to go through security and then found the next line to purchase tickets. Eduardo was able to go to the express line and purchased tickets using their computerized system. It wasn't long until we were ready to enter this most prestigious and extensive art collection in the world. We had to plan our tour strategy so that we would see the maximum exhibits while trying not to retrace our steps or waste any time for the day.
We began with the history of the museum, whose ground stands at the site of an ancient fortress first constructed in 1190 by Philippe-Auguste to protect Paris against the Viking raids. We then walked down through the Medieval Louvre around the moat and twin towers of the excavated fortress. From there we toured the Egyptian collection and also the Mesopotamian art exhibit and then the 18th century French art collection. By this time it was about 1:15 so we took the elevators and moving sidewalks down below the Pyramid where we had lunch at the international food court. The prices were reasonable (for Paris) and we were able to choose our favorite foods.
Our lunch revived us and our legs were ready to attack a few more of the galleries. We began with the Italian sculptures and then backtracked to the Greeks following the map to make sure we hit the highlights of the huge collection. The Mona Lisa gallery was very crowded and the Venus de Milo hall was also packed. We were not able to take pictures at the former but could in the latter. Overall, the building is so large that literally thousands of people can be accommodated and it did not seem too crowded. We finished the day by seeing the French sculptures.
At 5:15 we left the interior of the museum and enjoyed the bright sun; taking photos of the main courtyard and the huge crystal pyramid designed by I. M. Pei who was the architect for the restoration in 1989. We then strolled through Tuileries Garden, taking photos of the people enjoying their fall day, of the city and flowers and the surrounding architecture. We exited the Gardens and walked down the Rue de Rivoli, where we saw exclusive 5 Star hotels and expensive shops on our way to the Tuileries Metro Station where we were able to get on the #1 line and return to our hotel. While everyone else checked their emails I worked on photos, and then we wrote a summary of our day in Paris.
At 7:45 we all went out together for another night of pizza. We had found another Italian restaurant on one of the side streets in the area so it gave us a chance to walk a little more, take a few dusk pictures and then have dinner. We had a great time, with all of us exchanging stories.
Accommodations: Hotel Terminus Lyon - - - Meals: B
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