Le Louvre…a Wonderful but Confusing Museum
Bonjour,
I’m certain that some of you have been to the Louvre, and I can’t help but wonder if you can read their maps better than we can. I’ve been probably 6 or 7 times and Bernie, 10 or 12 times over the years. Every time we go, we find ourselves frustrated trying to move from one area to another. Paula’s observation yesterday was, “My goodness, you need a week’s pass, and that still wouldn’t be enough to see it all.” She is totally correct. We priced an English tour guide for just the two of them and it was over 300 euros! So we did the best we could finding the artistic items we thought were the most famous. We spent five hours there with an hour break for lunch. And just barely scratched the surface!
Our spirits were lifted when one of the attendants who was trying to help Bernie read the map said in her broken English that the best thing to do is just go back down to the bottom and move to another section. “It’s Paris and very, very complicated.” We couldn’t help but chuckle and silently agree!
We’ve had a good system for buying tickets from a secret spot and entering without all the throngs of people. Yesterday, we found that our system was useless as everything has changed. Most likely due to security concerns or just better logistics. The best method is to buy tickets on-line before going. If you do that, you can enter either from down below in the big shopping center near the inverted pyramid or from outside near the exterior pyramid. But otherwise, all the waiting in line is now outside also near the pyramid in queues set up like DisneyWorld exposing you to the elements…which is of course what we had to do! The line moved quickly, however, and we were inside in under 30 minutes. At best, it was a good time to snap some photos.
Again, all of us were taking photos, and we were trampled and knocked around by literally mobs of people trying to take selfies which is not our thing. My viewpoint is that we’re trying to show you Paris, not us!! Forgive the unidentified artwork. I was trying to give a good tour of the variety of fascinating objects that Le Louvre offers. It is the largest art museum in the world according to the Information Desk.
Inside, we started with the Napoleonic apartments, Napoleon the third. The chandeliers serve as our “light” photos of the day. Remember Le Louvre is a former palace to kings and queens, most famously to Marie Antoinette and Louis the XVI if my history serves me correctly. I love to imagine Marie flowing up and down the massive corridors and gorgeous steps in her gowns and corsets and throwing gaudy parties in the huge halls. The building itself is worth a visit as it is the ultimate art statement!
The Richelieu Cafe is now a very nice Angelina’s where we had a bite of lunch. The Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo had both been moved…lots of construction and redoing we suspect in anticipation of the 2024 Olympics.
”Winged Victory” is still located in the same stairwell and striking as always.
Other photos include French sculpture, paintings, and Egyptian and Islamic artifacts.
We called it quits around 5pm after an invigorating but overwhelming experience. If you go, do a lot of research about what’s there, how it’s arranged, what exactly you want to see, and buy those tickets ahead of time!
Rainy day today and Paula and Tim wanted a day all to themselves to go out on their own. We’ll see what adventures they have and meet for dinner tonight!
Have a great day!
L & B
October 17, 2019 @ 6:06 am
Really very nice pictures! Thanks for the tour and y’all look great 😃
October 17, 2019 @ 7:53 am
Merci! You and Bill should check it out and see if you can follow the maps better than we do!
October 17, 2019 @ 9:42 am
Well done Paris (and Normandy) adventurers. The Louvre can be so epic but it looks like you did amazingly well and I LOVE the attendant’s statement re ‘C’est Paris’ etc. 🙂 Truth!
Paula is of course right about a week not being enough. Years ago I read a great travel article by a couple who did exactly that: spent a week here and went to the Louvre for the best part of every day. Not most people’s idea of fun but it was fun to read and think about.
Wish P&T had time for the Marmottan (if art/Impressionism is a fave). We popped over to the Mondrian exhibit late Tues. pm and it’s really quite good, and the lower-level Monet galleries and first-floor Morisot rooms are always so lovely — and ‘restful’ in their hôtel particulier mansion after the Louvre and Orsay! So many possibilities, so little time I know.
Fab photos as always merci!
October 17, 2019 @ 11:34 am
Goes without saying but the chandelier at the start of today’s blog is beautiful!!
October 17, 2019 @ 12:29 pm
We appreciated getting in through that secret spot. It IS overwhelming and trying to find specifics you want to see is the only way to survive.
October 17, 2019 @ 12:32 pm
Bon jour. Thanks for the stroll through parts of the Louvre without the frustrations. BTW, I give two thumbs up to the smiles of Tim and Bernie at lunch than Lisa’s.
October 17, 2019 @ 12:39 pm
Looks like fun!!
October 17, 2019 @ 12:50 pm
Confusing it is (and was). No matter where I started (many years ago), i always ended up in the Egyptian section.
October 17, 2019 @ 1:11 pm
Your days are definitely more interesting than ours these weeks, and I love the eyes you’ve given us to see your days. So much beauty and majestic works of people. Boggles the mind. I’ve been to Louvre only once, years ago. Not quite so crowded as your day. I distinctly remember feet that were SO tired at days end. Talk about seeing overload! But worth it.
October 17, 2019 @ 8:08 pm
We haven’t even tried to enter the Louvre for the last several years. I agree with Thad, no matter how we enter, we always seem to get eternally stuck with the Egyptians! 😄 Thanks for a reminder that we need to give this amazing museum another try.