On our third day in Paris we tackled the Louvre Museum – what an amazing place! Our guide on the Seine cruise said that if you took 3 seconds to look at each piece of art at the Louvre, it would take you 33 days to see it all. Despite this intimidating tidbit of information, we decided to see as much as we could before we fell into a heap.
The guide book recommended that we get there early and head straight to the Mona Lisa, which we did. The displays on the way and in fact everywhere were amazing.
In spite of the fact that we rubbernecked the whole way, we made it to the room where the honest-to-goodness real Mona Lisa is displayed. It took us 15 – 20 minutes to work our way to the front of the line to take our picture. I expected it to be flat and uninspiring, but seeing it in person you can see the brush strokes, the color, the life in the expression. I was pleasantly surprised.
From there we just wandered from room to room taking in the sights. There is just such an overwhelming amount and variety that I don’t know where to start so I’m just going to show you a very small and random sample of what we saw.
Paintings
What I have confirmed is that Tom and I both like the impressionists. He is a big Van Gogh fan and we both like Monet among others.
Sculpture
I really like sculpture in general and there was tons of it in the Louvre (literally). Since I started with the most famous of the paintings, I thought it only fair to start with the most famous of the sculptures – Venus de Milo.
Despite the fame of this statue, there seems to be no clear answer as to who she really is, who sculpted her, or when. It is thought that she is a tribute to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, possibly sculpted by Alexandros of Antioch somewhere between 130 – 100BC. The time is pretty accurate and I find it amazing that this piece is over 2000 years old, wow.
Okay, we gotta keep moving or we’ll never finish.
I love the smooth lines and the detail in these sculptures. I would love to be able to create like that.
This guy just made me laugh – so happy, so much expression!
One of my favorite areas was the statue courtyard – so peaceful.
Other
The last exhibit we saw was the Napoleon Exhibition – Opulence doesn’t even begin to describe it.
It speaks for itself.
The grounds were spectacular as well.
And there you have it, Charli’s impressions of the Louvre de Paris – a truly amazing place.
Spectacular! Looks like you guys are having a wonderful time…..Enjoy!!!
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Thanks. We are having a great time.
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Thank you. Awesome pictures. Take care. Becky MCFall
From: charliexplores Reply-To: charliexplores Date: Friday, May 30, 2014 at 2:49 AM To: Mike McFall Subject: [New post] Museo de Louvre WOW!
WordPress.com charliexplores posted: ” On our third day in Paris we tackled the Louvre Museum – what an amazing place! Our guide on the Seine cruise said that if you took 3 seconds to look at each piece of art at the Louvre, it would take you 33 days to see it all. Despite this i”
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You’re welcome.
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I find the grandeur and enormity overwhelming! And the Napoleon Exhibit. OMG. I am such a simple country bumpkin… Looking forward to more! Enjoy…
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What a truly inspirational place. For someone who can’t even draw a stick person, it is all beautiful. Have fun.
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This is amazing!
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Hey Sarah, thanks. Glad you liked it.
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