2006 Europe Trip
Paris: The Louvre
Monday was our day to see the Louvre, which I think is the world's largest museum. We didn't begin to see everything, but neither did we intend to. Photography without a flash is permitted in most areas, but not in high-traffic spots like the Renaissance galleries (including around the Mona Lisa). We were still worn out from our Orsay & Eiffel day on Sunday, so we took frequent breaks at the Louvre.
The exterior:
Becky, posing in a sculpture gallery.
One of the first "big" attractions we saw was the Winged Victory.
The Venus de Milo had been temporarily moved from it's normal home, so we were able to photograph it. And, Matt couldn't resist taking Becky's picture next to this classic statue.
This room, the Gallery of Apollo, is a classic part of the Louvre -- mainly for the decorations on the walls & ceilings. No photos are allowed in the actual gallery, so here's one through the door. Every surface inside is decorated heavily.
Pictures weren't allowed in the Mona Lisa area, either - I think for crowd-control purposes. And, crowded it was! We were both rather surprised to see a tie-in at the Louvre info desks to the DaVinci code movie & book. That seemed to have brought out the crowds, many of whom seemed more interested in the Davinci than the other beautiful artwork in the same rooms. Oh well. Anyhow, the Mona Lisa didn't impress me (Becky) too much -- most prints you've seen of it are probably larger than the real thing. Yes, the woman is interesting looking, and it seems to be a nice piece of art, but I don't know what the fuss is all about. :)
To escape the crowd (and because both of us do like history) we took a journey through Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Here's Matt with Ramsees II!
This egyptian sarcophogus was quite detailed.
Becky liked the designs on these pieces -- maybe for a quilt?
Matt, especially, wanted to see the Winged Bulls of Sargon II. Here are shots of both of us around the Bulls. The one with Becky is like a hallway, but the small things you see on the floor are part of a security system that will set off an alarm if you attempt to touch this art. Throughout the museum are signs saying "Do not touch the artwork." But, throughout the museum, there are people touching artwork (especially statues). I had to restrain myself a few times from telling people to stop touching stuff! Seriously, people -- DO NOT touch these ancient artifacts! Anyhow, on to the pictures...
Becky, especially, wanted to see Hamurrabi's code. Here are some pictures in detail, and one with Becky in front of this very important artifact concerning written law.
By this time, we were getting pretty tired, so wandered through another sculpture area on the way to the cafe. Here's Napoleon and other figures sculpted by Frenchmen.
In our tiredness, we probably didn't appreciate this room as much as we could have -- and entire room by Reubens - showing some queen (who, to our surprise, was shown topless in about half the images - or we think that was her at least).
This was beautiful:
And this just struck us as funny -- Jesus appears to be dealing death from above onto these women!
Evening
For our last dinner in Paris, we looked to the guidebook and picked a charming restaurant. We both had great meals - Becky's was Pot Au Feu (a classic French stew, more-or-less) with cold Strawberry Soup as dessert. Yum!
Matt at dinner, looking charming
Becky, on a bridge over the Seine
After dinner, we wandered around and happened upon this building - the Pantheon. Interesting story behind it.
