So, after checking in at the hotel and spending a few hours with Corrine (see previous blog entries), we were off to the Louvre. She was kind enough to accompany us on the metro and get us to the Louvre entrance. We would have found our way because we were armed with maps, but it’s much easier to follow someone else! We came through the entrance below the pyramid which I had previously read is the highly recommended place to enter through it’s the least busy. I’m not sure why, but they also say the evening openings are the least crowded time to visit the Louvre. Fewer people visiting and no waiting in lines to enter the museum works for me!

A visit to the Louvre would really warrant an entire day or two or ten. Our short visit barely allowed us enough time to orient ourselves to the many buildings of the Louvre let alone very much inside all the buildings. But, it still would have been completely worth the visit even if all we did was take in the wonder and awe of the buildings themselves.

I knew there would only be a handful of things most of us would really recognize and appreciate seeing so I was already prepared to not be too disappointed when we barely scratched the surface. Of course, everyone wanted to see the Mona Lisa which warrants its own blog entry (see above). Beyond seeing the Mona Lisa, Emily and I were the only ones with a list of things to see most of which were found in the Antiquities section. We were most intereted in these things because of our recent studies of the ancients.It was fun to see the greek vases since especially since we made our own greek vases last year.
We also enjoyed seeing this Egyptian sarcophagus……
And, of course, there is the glass pyramid. Since we entered below the pyramid structure, we had to go upstairs so we could have a picture taken inside.
The pyramid is an AMAZING structure which was inaugurated on March 30, 1989. It is the focal point of the museum’s grand central area where you enter the museum and where the public amenities are found. It’s nice to know you can look for the pyramid to get your bearings from whichever building you’re in.

After traveling for 30 hours, I knew our feet would be too tired for aimlessly wandering about and our eyes would be nearly glazed over, but really this was the only night we could spend any length of time at the Louvre. Below… they don’t look too tired do they?
Having been to the Louvre when I was in high school, I already knew how overwhelming it can be to figure out where to start which made it important to have a plan for our whirlwind tour of the Louvre. I had really hoped to follow one or more of the thematic trails I found on the Louvre website. However, time didn’t allow for any following any of those trails other than bits and pieces of the Masterpieces trail. I had really hoped to take the History of the Louvre tour, but it’s a three hour tour and not all of the rooms for that tour are open during the evening hours. All the more reason to go back again some time SOON!Here are a few random pictures from both inside and outside the main building we visited. I’m not going to post very many pictures because there just isn’t anyway to portray the magnificence of it all with an amateur photograph!
We also had to remember to look UP and not just around because the ceillings are just as AMAZING as all the art work you’ll find on the walls or the artifacts in the hallways. So, I’ll just leave you with this glimpse of one corner in the next three pictures….The corner from a distance……The ceiling…… The paintings on the wall…..