DAY 37 – THE LOUVRE

Inside the famous glass pyramid
of The Louvre.

Today is all about The Louvre. I picked today because the museum is open late on Friday nights. And the glass pyramid is stunning all lit up in the evenings.

            I leave the hotel and meander my way through the streets of Paris. Unfortunately most shops don’t open until 11am or Noon – so it’s mostly window shopping. I was going to have Hagen-Daas for breakfast, but alas, they were closed.

            Instead I head to the Palais du Louvre and eat at a lovely café on the plaza – with the perfect view of the glass pyramid. (And the artichoke was lovely!)

            Then time for my tour of the Louvre, with a darling little French guide. This place is enormous – with over 400 rooms and more than 35,000 pieces of art. It’s the largest museum in the world. In our 2½-hour tour we see the basics – Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc., but so much more remains unseen. So after the tour ends, I venture off on my own for a few more hours.

            There’s so much to see that I end up going in circles. But even walking down halls I’ve walked before, there are still new things to see that I missed the first time. And I’m grateful for the occasional empty bench to sit and rest along the way.

            After 7 hours, I’m tired, overwhelmed, and emotionally filled. I don’t know why I don’t go to museums very often at home, because I always enjoy them. Unfortunately, this time I found no secret clues hidden in the museum (and I always enjoy a good mystery.)