Where to begin with Paris? Perhaps with its size: Paris is
the largest city I have been to, miles and miles of buildings, each with its
own history. We arrived by train, with a plan in mind: the Louvre, the Eiffel
Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame de Paris. A big agenda, but we
had 10 hours and felt that we could accomplish our goals if we moved quickly.
At the train station we obtained a map, and noticed that the
tourist desk sold fast pass Louvre passes for 10 euro. Since it was our first
destination, we bought 2 and headed that way. Our route to the Louvre took us
through some seedier parts of the city, not dangerous feeling, just not as
family friendly as other places. We saw our first real-live prostitutes, and
passed by a troop of day laborers before entering the garment district where
the shops sold scads of buttons and fabrics.
After a lengthy walk, we reached the Louvre, which was
packed with people waiting in line outside, even though it was cold, rainy, and
the middle of the day. We realized they were waiting for tickets, and as we had
already purchased ours, we could bypass the line, and go right inside. If you
want to visit the Louvre, buy a ticket
before arriving at the museum. This will save your hours in line, which you
will want once you get inside.
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| The Glass Pyramid of the Louvre |
The Louvre buildings are a work of several hundred years, beginning
in the 1100s, and with the passing of time they grew more grand and ornate. The
present layout is sort of like an upside-down U, where you approach from the
open end, and descend underground through a glass pyramid to enter the
different wings.
Expect to be jostled, and keep a close eye on your things as
there are people everywhere and, yes mom, you could get pick pocketed. It
didn’t happen to us, but I suppose it could have it we had not been on guard.
Since this museum is so large, it is best to arrive with
your battle plan already laid out. You will not be able to see everything in 1
day, so don’t expect to, or you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
Instead, pick out a few pieces or artists beforehand, put them on a must-see
list, and plan your footsteps accordingly. Also, make sure your must-see list
is not too long, as it is easy to get distracted by something breathtaking.
My plan was concise: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Medieval
Louvre, and Objects d’art. Even this list was too long. We were only able to
see the first 3 things on the list, and we were in the museum for 3 hours.
(Clarification: we saw other masterpieces besides the Mona Lisa and the Venus
de Milo, just not the items on the list)
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| The Mona Lisa |
Some quick observations:
The Mona Lisa is very tiny, only 20 by 30
inches. This may sound large, but you cannot get within 20 feet of the
painting, so it appears smaller from that distance. Other paintings are closer,
but Lisa needs extra protection
This painting will absolutely be surrounded by people just standing and listening
to their audio guides. They do not feel the need to make room for others, so if
you want to photograph it or see it closer, it helps to be short and to have
skill throwing elbows.
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| The Venus de Milo |
Paintings depicting the lives of Saints can be very dramatic to look at (think severed heads)
You are allowed to photograph the artwork, but you may not use a flash or a tripod, so it can get a little tricky. To accomplish non-blurry photographs, own a decent camera, and familiarize yourself with its manual exposure settings.
And now, a sample of what awaits you at the Louvre:
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| Christ Carrying the Cross |
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| Altarpiece of the Virgin |
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Christ Carrying the Cross
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