The Louvre

Today Britt had to start cleaning up her apartment as we both would be leaving Paris in five days, so I was on my own today. It was my day to visit the inside of the Louvre. Britt thought that no photos were allowed inside the Louvre, so I didn’t take my camera. When I got there, everyone was taking photos, so I made one tour of the Louvre sans camera, had lunch at the Louvre cafe, then went back to my hotel to pick up my camera and then made another tour of the Louvre. This photo shows the glass pyramids outside the Louvre. The entrance to the Louvre is through the big pyramid.

The Louvre

The Louvre

You take an escalator down to the ground floor.

The Louvre

The Louvre

Then you need to choose what wing you want to visit––Richelieu, Sully, or Denon. Tickets here were only 8,50 Euros for the whole day––quite a buy.

The Louvre

The Louvre

I headed to the Denon wing, of course, as this is where the Mona Lisa is.

The Louvre

The Louvre

Hallway on way to see the Mona Lisa. The floor is level. That it doesn’t look that way in the photo is an optical illusion.

The Louvre

The Louvre

Here she is––the Mona Lisa. The photo is fuzzy as the Mona Lisa is behind glass.

The Louvre

The Louvre

This is the crowd that I had to push my way through to get the above photo! Britt said that when she went to see the Mona Lisa there was an orderly line you waited on to see it and then you had a few seconds to view it and take photos. No such line today––rather, bedlam.

The Louvre

The Louvre

Crowds in another room at the Louvre. From her previous experience here, Britt would probably say this was a small crowd compared to crowds in the summer. The first floor of the Louvre, where the Old Masters are, is not at all quiet, as there are many tour guides giving their spiels as well as art teachers giving verbal lessons.

The Louvre

The Louvre

I have put on this website a slide show of the inside of the Louvre of Old Masters, Early Religious Paintings, Ceilings and Hallways, Rooms, Eqyptian Antiquities, and  Statues. Go to Slide Shows, Western Europe, France, “Paris: The Louvre.” But I am now putting here this one painting that as a Shih Tzu dog owner I found fascinating. It is by Reni and was painted in the early 1600s.

The Louvre

The Louvre

Close–up of the Shih Tzu. My Shih Tzu, named Missy, is white and cream colored.

The Louvre

The Louvre

The views from the windows inside the Louvre were spectacular. This photos is of the Left Bank of the Seine from inside the Louvre.

The Louvre

The Louvre

Another view of the Left Bank of the Seine.

The Louvre

The Louvre

Still another view of the Left Bank of the Seine.

The Louvre

The Louvre

The square in front of the Louvre.

The Louvre

The Louvre

Statues on the outside of the Louvre.

The Louvre

The Louvre

Close–up of the statues on the outside of the Louvre.

The Louvre

The Louvre

The square in front of the Louvre. You can see the Eiffel Tower on the left back.

The Louvre

The Louvre

The square in back of the Louvre.

The Louvre

Joan of Arc

I passed this statue of Joan of Arc on my way back from the Louvre to my hotel.

Joan of Arc

Rue de Rivoli

My walk took me along the Rue de Rivoli, which is across the street from the Tulieries. Those great souvenir stores that I told you about are located in these buildings.

Rue de Rivoli

Tour Eiffel at Night

Britt and I met for dinner and then took a Paris Vision Tour of Paris at Night. Paris is the City of Light. There was so much light at night that I had difficulty taking any good photos. It was beautiful, but I did get some photos of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. I thought this sight was one of the most spectacular things that I have ever seen and to only see it is worth a trip to Paris.

Tour Eiffel at Night

Tour Eiffel at Night

In this photo, the lights on the Eiffel Tower are twinkling. They do this for about 15 minutes each hour.

Tour Eiffel at Night

Tour Eiffel at Night

Another photo of the Eiffel Tower lit up. After viewing the Eiffel Tower up close, we took a night cruise on the Seine. I took a movie clip of the Eiffel Tower, but it came out in black and white, but still worth viewing. Go to Movies, Western Europe, France, “Tour Eiffel at Night.”

Tour Eiffel at Night