The Louvre

I have made many trips to the Louvre these past few months and it is one place I do not tire of seeing.  It is best to take it in bite-sized pieces.  We had three three-hour long art history classes in the Louvre this semester that were exhausting and exhilarating.

The Pyramid of the Louvre

I have learned the ins and outs about how to avoid the long lines to get through security quickly.  We have discovered that the best time to go to the Louvre is when it opens at 9 am and then we head straight for the Venus de Milo, the Nike of Samothrace and the Mona Lisa before the crowds arrive.  Today I took our friend, Julian, who is visiting from Germany.  He was a good sport to agree to get up early to go to the Louvre.  He was very happy when I was able to get us in the short security line with my Amis du Louvre membership card.

Julian at the Pyramid Fountain at the Louvre

On the way to the Mona Lisa I noticed my favorite painting at the Louvre was finally back on the wall where it belonged after being on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  I was afraid it wouldn't be back before we left.  It is by Ghirlandaio of an old man and a boy.  I love the benevolent look on the old man's face with his knobby nose and the sweet adoring look of the little boy.  Julian was kind enough to pose by it.   Otherwise, why would you take a picture of a painting in the Louvre when you can get a much better picture on the internet?

The Old Man with a Young Boy

Julian and I walked from one end of the Louvre to the other for over three hours trying to cover the highlights.  Some of the highlights from our visit were Michelangelo's Slave statues, Albrecht Durer's self-portrait, Napoleon III's apartments (Julian said "Wow, I had no idea this was here!" when he saw the room with five chandeliers and gilded everything), Rembrandt's The Philosopher in Meditation, and The Raft of the Medusa by Gericault.

Napoleon III's Apartments

We were just getting ready to leave when I realized we hadn't seen The Lacemaker by Vermeer.  I asked Julian, who was exhausted by now, if he wanted to go back and see it.  He decided he would be sorry if he didn't so we went back to the other end of the Louvre and up to the top floor to see it.  Since we went so far, we had to take a picture.

Julian and The Lacemaker

And we decided it was worth it.  By now it was almost 1 pm and the crowds at the Louvre were huge. 

Crowds under the Pyramid inside the Louvre

We decided it was time to get out of there and find a place to sit and each lunch.  We took a few more pictures outside on our way out.  There were huge crowds inside and outside the Louvre.  I was longing for those January and February days before the tourists started descending on Paris.

When we arrived home, he told Kelly, in his wonderful German accent, that the Louvre, like Versailles, "exceeded his wildest dreams!"  We went with the family to the café under our apartment for lunch--Le Comptoir du Septième.  Kelly started carbo loading for the marathon this weekend with a huge bowl of penne pasta.   We also enjoyed the roasted chicken and fries.  Julian and I were just happy to be off our feet and have our stomachs full.  We felt we had run a marathon that morning! 

Kelly Carbo Loading

Andrew, Kate and Julian at Le Comptoir du Septième