Musée du Louvre

No first visit to Paris would be complete without a visit to the Musée du Louvre, so today we decided to spend the better part of the day at the famous museum. After a very nice Parisian breakfast, which included an assortment of breads, cheeses, meats, fruits and coffee, we jumped on the Metro and headed to the museum.

We were a little concerned about the crowds - we'd heard warnings about how big the lines can get and how difficult it can be to get in and actually see what you want to see inside. So we decided to take the entrance underground through the Galerie du Carrousel as opposed to the main pyramid entrance, in an attempt to bypass the crowds. As we were making our way toward the museum, trying to find tickets to get in, we were pleasantly suprised to (re)learn that on the first Sunday of every month, the museum admission is free! It always feels good to save those euros!

As expected on a free admission day, there were lots of people, but in my opinion it could've been worse. What was more daunting than anything was the sheer amount of artifacts, sculptures, paintings, and information that were available to examine. The museum itself is organized into three wings and each of these wings has multiple levels. With the large crowds of people, getting through the museum quickly is near impossible, nor recommended. Hint: those thinking about visiting the Louvre for the first time should try to investigate beforehand what is at the museum and then visit what intrests you most, otherwise you'll inevitibly get lost. Trust me on this!

By all means though, I thought this was an awesome place. If museums are your thing, and you would like to see some of the world's most famous paintings, sculptures, artifacts, etc. then this is the place to see it.

Both Derek and I had the camera going while at the Louvre and we took a lot of pictures. Of course, pictures just don't give the museum any justice. There is no picture that can capture the feel of being inches away from world famous paintings, the experience of posing next to famous statues, the astonishment when you actually see with your own two eyes how intricate each little artifact is...

...But I know I would not survive the firestorm of criticism that would come down on me if I didn't post any pictures, so I picked what I thought were a few highlights:

Look familiar anyone?

I thought this was so cool... Hammurabi's Code.

This picture and the next were just a couple of amazing ceilings that we saw.

None other than King Agrippa himself.

A famous one: this is Aphrodite, a.k.a Vénus de Milo.

Actually forgot what this one's called, but I thought it looked cool.

I'm thinking this is the most famous picture in France? Just a guess.

Last but not least, the original Mosa Lisa.
Admit it, her stare gives you chills.