Paris is just so stunning. Practically everywhere you go there is something breathtaking to marvel at. The cobbled streets automatically make a simple walk a pleasure. As we were wandering, we came across the Carnavalet Museum which is basically two mansions in the centre of Paris put together to form a museum dedicated to the history of Paris. The earliest pieces date back to 52AD. What a great find that was. As we were leaving in search of food, we were entertained by some street musicians playing old, well known tunes. Seriously cool.
Now it's no secret the crepes here have become quite a favourite of mine so when we found a lunch place and had demolished the first course, it was essential to try the crepes they had on offer. Caramel and praline. Heaven. After that totally satisfying sugar fix we headed off to see the Bastille. Being completely ignorant, i thought we were actually going to see a fortress of some kind but as you, dear intelligent reader, will know, there is just a monument there so I was a little perplexed until Vanessa explained it had actually been razed to the ground during the French Revolution. Oops.
As it had started to pour down, we headed back to the hotel and spent the remainder of the day relaxing in the hotel. Even holidaymakers need a rest sometimes!
Because of the quiet evening the night before, we were full of energy the next day and ready to tackle the Louvre. We decided to split up as we both wanted to see different things. I of course, headed straight for the Greek, Roman and Egyptian exhibitions. This place is so huge that just one section here would be size of an entire museum back home! Needless to say I was completely overwhelmed by everything I saw. One particularly exciting item was the Niobid Painter's Calyx Krater (a very famous Greek vase) which I have taught many students about. Seeing it for real was a particular kind of special. I know this vase; it's composition, the techniques used to paint it, the characters on it, the clever use of drapery and incision. Standing right in front of it made me feel like I was finally meeting someone I knew so well but had never seen in person. It made me smile, a lot.
After indulging in my share of Greek vases, I went off in search of the 'famous' pieces. The sculpture of Cupid and Psyche was up first. It's so beautiful and real - apart from the fact that Cupid has wings of course! Next up was the Venus de Milo. No one seems to know what happened to her arms but she looks so good without them it doesn't seem to matter. She is said to be Aphrodite. The statue was found in the ancient city of Milo on the island of Milos, hence the name. It always astounds me how artists from thousands of years ago could produce such incredible art, buildings etc with the rudimentary tools they had then. I know I've said that before but it's so true!
The next stop was seeking out the smiling Mona Lisa. I expected the painting to be smaller than it was as I'd heard lots of reports of disappointed people saying it was really little but I was pleasantly surprised. She was behind a barrier of course, surrounded by throngs of tourists but being slightly taller than a lot of them, I was able to get a couple of good photos of Leonardo's lady.
I have said before that I would love to live in the British Museum but I'm going to amend that. I think I shall spend the summers there and the winters in the Louvre. It is all so extraordinary. To think that many of these piece were ordinary items that people just like me (well, perhaps a little different) used in their day to day lives. What is that we are going to leave behind for future generations to look at and sigh in wonder over?
After finding Vanessa and having (an expensive) lunch, we visited more of the Egyptian section then decided it was time to leave. 5 hours seemed like enough for one day! On the way back we made a stop to check out the Arc de Triomphe. Holy cow it's busy on that roundabout. We figured it was safer to stay on the other side of the road and take pics from there. The details on the arc are quite stunning (thanks camera zoom for letting me see it all). We wandered down some of the Champs Elysees before heading home and congratulatings ourselves on another excellent tourist day.
