Finally, Paris!

Our second attempt at Paris was a little more fruitful than the first, thankfully.  Though it was a short 2 day visit, and the weather was inclement for most of the time, we crammed in a fair amount of sightseeing.  On the day we arrived, the late afternoon sky was giving way to a dusky blush, a perfect backdrop to the River Seine.  We also had our first view of the iconic Eiffel Tower, way in the distance.  A few lucky photos later, we were on our way to the Louvre, passing Notre Dame on the way.

Venus de Milo

The Louvre is one of those places where one's heart jumps to even stand near the glass pyramid, waiting in the long queue.  This monumental building used to be the royal palace before King Louis XIV moved his residence to Versailles, which explains it's vastness and splendor.  And to do full justice to the treasures inside, one would need at least a week to browse (and I know I've said this before about other museums, such as the British Museum).  One thing we found rather curious is the celebrity of the Venus de Milo.  She is surrounded by many other exquisite marble statues of gods and goddesses, just as ancient as she, many of these are all but ignored by the crowds.  We figured there must be a back story to explain this, so we did a little research.  Venus de Milo wasn't even discovered until fairly recently.  Prior to this, the epitome of classical sculpture was the Medici Venus, in the possession of the French, thanks to Napoleon Bonaparte's looting of Italy.  In 1815, the French were forced to return the sculpture to it's rightful owners.  Five short years later, the de Milo was discovered and the French quickly arranged for it's purchase. They then vociferously promoted the armless sculpture as an even greater treasure than the one they'd lost, thus paving the way for our modern fixation with the Venus de Milo.

To find Da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa, simply join the stream of tourists in the Denon wing thronging to a large room in which one finds an especially reverent silence.  Heavy ropes and security personnel keep people a reasonable distance back and she is sheltered behind bullet-proof and climate-controlled glass.  We did not take a photo but were content to merely admire her from afar.  We felt the mass of people jockeying for a better position, and the inevitable jostling of the camera were not conducive to a good photo anyway.  The eyes of "La Gioconda" are certainly striking, still sparkling after 500 years.

The next day, our last day in Paris, we were thwarted by rain and bone-chilling temperatures.  The wind was the kind that rips umbrellas inside out and bends the frame irreparably.  Regardless, we bundled up as best we could and braced ourselves for the power walk to Notre Dame; magnificent, but (dare I say it), over-rated in comparison to some of the other churches, cathedrals & basilicas that we've already seen.  Afterwards, we sought refuge at the Musee d'Orsay, an old train station converted into a museum of the impressionist and post-impressionist masters.  Fans of Monet, Gaughin, or Van Gogh take note:  this gallery is a manageable size -  and worth it!  Though, oddly, we could take photos at the Louvre, but not here.  Once we were finished, we began to make our way to the Eiffel Tower.  The weather, which had started out bad, had gotten even worse while we were in the museum.  So this is as close as we got to the famed tower before we scurried back to the underground train which would take us back to our hotel.

Next time we're in Paris, the weather will hopefully be more cooperative and cheerful and we'll be able to continue exploring this romantic city.