The Louvre

So I mentioned before that the Louvre deserves its own post, so here goes. When we were on our walking tour I had noticed all of the massive old buildings that were lining one side of the river. I did not, however, realize that the majority of what I was looking at was actually the same building. We came to the outside of the museum and I still wasn't aware of its size; we then walked into a courtyard and it became a bit more apparent that this was no ordinary structure. However, after walking through this courtyard and coming to the main plaza of the Louvre, my breathe was absolutely taken away. I could not comprehend the sheer size of the building and am still in awe by not only the massiveness but also the incredible detail that permeates every facet of the former palace. I did a quick comparison (thank you Google Earth) to show just how large it is - in the picture below, I overlaid a satellite image of Invesco Stadium on the main plaza, which will hopefully give some perspective on size.

The primary entrance (the highly disputed glass pyramid) was packed when we arrived, but luckily we had heard of another place, called the Lion's Entrance, which fewer people know of.

It was great going to that door, because there was literally no line and we were able to get into the museum in a matter of minutes. After checking our bags we began to wander and immediately realized why a map is essential. Within minutes we had already become lost (immersed, yes, but still impressively lost) in an overwhelming selection of art.

The museum itself is a masterful work of art. Over the centuries the various kings and queens have built new rooms, wings, and gardens, which today comes together to in an incredibly ornate and surprisingly cohesive way. On every ceiling there are very detailed murals, and where any of the archways meet there can usually be found some interesting sculpture. I had never been in such a museum before - priceless pieces line the walls of massive, soaring hallways, which I can not possibly imagine actually once being a residence. A short picture series may be the best description.

Looking ahead:

Looking up:

Looking out:

And looking at:

After a bit of trekking, we finally found one of the Louvre's most famous residents, the Mona Lisa herself. It's pretty surreal to see something which has been so well known to so many people in so many places across the globe. I had heard so many people say how disappointing the piece was; however, I was incredibly pleased to find it was everything I had hope for. Small, yes. Detailed, yes. Surreal, absolutely.

I really could not take my eyes off this and so many other pieces, and even after hours of wandering we still had seen only a small portion of the treasures the Louvre contains. Currently, there are over 35,000 pieces on display, with an even greater number being stored and period cycled into exhibits. The Louvre is just so fascinating to me because it has such a rich and interesting history. One of the most surprising things to me was that below the museum lies the foundation of an unfinished castle. It was so strange to walk into the basement and suddenly be standing in a mote staring at the outer wall of what would have been a massive castle!

Oh, and there is obviously plenty of attention given to the museum thanks to Dan Brown. I was assured by plenty of Parisians that everything in those books is false, but it was still really fantastic to see so many of the sights he references. So, one of the Rose Line markers running throughout Paris and to the heart of the Louvre:

Walking Around

On Saturday we got up and went toward downtown Paris where we were supposed to meet a guide for a walking tour of the city. Since we had over an hour before it started, we took the chance to sit outside at a cafe and try some of the food and coffee. Both were amazing - the bread there was incredible and the coffee is definitely some of the best I've had. I had a plate with bread covered in ham and melted cheese that had a salad on the side, while Ken and Sara tried out some baguettes with different cheeses on them. It was a great way to relax and it was so fun watching people walk by. We were sitting across from a fountain that marks the beginning of the Roman quarter - so named because it's one of the oldest parts of the city originally occupied by its namesake.

In the picture above, Gabriel is dealing the final blow to Lucifer before banishing him to hell. The creatures in front were half-lion, half-dragon and the sculpting was amazingly detailed.

We soon started our tour and began walking toward the river, which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful parts of the city. Boats drifted along under the countless bridges spanning the Seine and we walked along the water for a while, during which time our guide talked about French history and pointed toward a building with bullet holes at the top - some of the very few marks left on Paris during WWII.

In the background below, Notre Dame overlooks the river before it.

We soon came to a park where Louis IV often spent time. By the park was a building with elaborate heads carved into the top, each of which represents a Templar knight. As we stood on the steps, our guide told us it was in that spot that their leader had once been burned at the stake and with his dying words cursed the then king and pope, who both died within the year. Since the place was considered haunted, Louis often went there to meet up with the numerous women he was having affairs with. His wife, Marguerite, was having similar affairs with two lovers of her own, but when the king found out about the men he had them skinned alive. (Yet he was still called "good king Henry".)

On top of the wall was a large statue of Henry IV. While looking at it, our guide continued his story by saying that after surviving 18 assassination attempts, the king was finally killed by François Ravaillac, who stabbed him three times in the heart. An article online best describes how he was punished for regicide: "Before being drawn and quartered... he was scalded with burning sulphur, molten lead and boiling oil and resin, his flesh then being torn by pincers." Our guide said that the only thing left of Ravaillac was a shirt soaked in blood.

We crossed another bridge and ended up where I had been looking forward to going the most: the Louvre. An entire other post is necessary to describe this building; all I can say briefly is that it is magnificent. Massive, ornate, and full of some of the most beautiful treasures in the world, the Louvre was one of my favorite sights. Across from it we saw one of Paris's famous American Cathedral, where not only kings have been married, but also Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria. (So you know it's got to be good, haha.) After so much of the German architecture, it was fun to see some new styles and more of the Gothic theme appearing.

We walked through the plazas of the Louvre and into the city on the other side, where we took a short break to enjoy something very Parisian: more McDonald's. (Hey, the city was really expensive and cheap food with plenty of calories is absurdly appealing.) The wealth in that area was pretty apparent, as evidenced by the Rolls Royce parked casually outside a restaurant.

After an awesome lunch, we continued walking and ended up in the parks that lie in front of the Louvre. I say park very loosely, since they might as well be considered forests. Apparently the area was originally used for smelting ore, but Marie Antoinette got sick of looking at the poor people working and had it turned into the lavish gardens that still remain.

There were so many statues, gardens, and meticulously groomed trees that the parks were slightly overwhelming. When we rounded a corner, ahead was a huge obelisk which seemed very out of place. This is the place where the guillotine once sat that took so many lives during the French Revolution, and today is marked by the massive 6 thousand year old egyptian monument.

Some other interesting sights in the area included the hotel where winners of the Tour de France stay, fountains which were placed throughout the city to provide fresh water when it used to be hard to find, and the Arch de Triumph.

Getting to a Paris hotel was not easy

I have a new city on my favorites list. This weekend two friends and I got a ride on the Mitfahrgelgenheit with two Germans, living in Aachen, who only spoke French and German. They picked us up in a nice little VW car, which became increasingly more...cozy as we drove the four hours to Paris. It was a fun drive, amplified by the fact that the couple was sitting up front singing along to practically every song that came on, which included rock, hip-hop, and my personal favorite, Britney Spears. (Think, "hit me baby one more time" said with a thick accent.) Anyway, it took pretty much exactly 4 hours to get there and at first I was actually not at all impressed. The outskirts of the city were very industrial and unremarkable and we passed by factories and apartments that were exactly opposite of the "city of love" image. They were really nice and offered to take us to our hostel, so they put in in their GPS and started driving. I don't know if it was because the navigation system was shifty or the place was just impossible to find, but finally another 4 hours after getting into the city, getting stuck in stop and go traffic, and looping around a few times we offered to just jump out and take the metro.

Luckily, McDonald's is ubiquitous and cheap, so we were able to ease the starvation we'd built up over the preceding 8 hours of travel. I thought the French McDonald's menu was really funny - since Europe is on the metric system all of the "quarter pounders", etc, are called things like "royals", there were various desserts such as cakes and tarts that I had never imagined seeing in a fast food restaurant, and on the drink menu were beer and wine! Definitely different than in the States.

We jumped on the metro which was impossibly confusing at first, but finally managed to figure it out and realized it was pretty efficient. Another bout of traveling and we got to our hotel, which ended up being in what I like to think of as the Brooklyn of Paris. (Google maps deceived me, but at least it was really cheap.) Our room was actually way nicer than anything we would have gotten in a hostel in the city, complete with two twin beds and a bathroom crammed into a little room that overlooked a soccer field and, in the distance, some of the Paris skyline.

It was getting to be evening, so we headed back into the city in hopes of seeing the Eiffel tower at night. After a few transfers we climbed out of the station and the first thing we saw was the top of the tower lit up behind some trees. It was so beautiful! I had always assumed it was a large structure, but I had no idea it would be as massive and elaborate as it was.

We kept walking until we got right under the base. The entire park under the tower is beautiful - there are lakes, grass, and plenty of places to lie around and hang out. When we were standing right under the base thousands of lights suddenly made the entire tower start to glitter. This went on for about five minutes and we later realized that it marks the beginning of each hour.

It was too late to buy tickets to the top, so instead we just hung out in the park below, watching people and the lights above. Finally, because of both exhaustion and the trains stopping we headed back to the hostel, where a grumpy night clerk let us in and we were able to get a bit of rest.