Today was our first full day in Paris, and it was full.
We woke up at 8 and were out the door by 8:45,on our way to the Louvre. We spent about 4 hours there, each of us wandering around by ourselves. I know why it's the most famous museum (pretty much) out there. The museum itself is art. Did you know that if someone were to spend only 10 seconds on each piece in the Louvre, they would be there for 4 days?
I tried to prioritize my time to things I really wanted to see. I plugged into my iPod (tuning out the other people chattering in various languages) and explored ancient Islamic pieces from the 14th and 15th century first. It's honestly breathtaking what these people did so long ago- everything is extremely intricate and made of gold, jewels, and glass. There were mosaic pieces, large vases, decorated doors... Also there's the biggest collection of Egyptian artifacts other than actually in Egypt.
After I got tired of looking there, I went over to another wing which featured French painters from the 18th century. Usually, to me, these kinds of paintings bore me, because they all are some religious scene and are painted in the same style... But I found some beautiful landscapes, AND an unbelievable view of the Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries.
Not to mention my first peak at the Eiffel Tower.
Not bad, eh?
After I got tired of the old paintings I headed over to the Apartments of Napoleon, meaning pretty much anything from his estate reconfigured. It was absolutely ridiculous! Chandeliers everywhere, gorgeous paintings on every wall and ceiling... He certainly had one great interior designer. Among all of the expensive artifacts from Napoleon, they had some of his Crown Jewels. I almost fainted... Seriously. These jewels are so rich in history. Napoleon took the best jewels from different countries to create these pieces of jewelry and the crowns. I couldn't believe I was looking at them.
i decided to move to the Italian art and sculpture wing, because my time at the Louvre was coming to a close and I figured I should probably take a peak at the Mona Lisa before leaving. This wing was by far the most crowded. Throughout the old art were pieces made by Michaelangelo Pistoletto, a newer sculptor/ artist. His work was made with mirrors, figures of people, and t shirts. Look him up- his work was very modern and thought provoking.
W met up and left the Louvre to get some lunch. Most expensive salad I've ever paid for... €16. Oh well, that's Paris for you. There was also a "Festival de Diversite" going on next to the Louvre, where we wandered around the art stands and sausage stands (they had a lot!!)
We walked through Le Jardins des Tulieres, which is in the back of the Louvre, and enjoyed the only hour of sun for the day. Next was L'Orangerie, which has the largest collection of Monet's Lilly paintings in the world... So I had to go.
Afterwards, we headed over to the Sienne to walk over to Le Centre Pompidou, enjoying ice cream (I got strawberry) and crepes on the way. Once in the Marais district, we ended up shopping around and looking at all of the adorable restaurants and cafes before going to le Centre. We decided more exploration was needed another day, when we had more time.
Though my feet felt like they were going to curl into one solid knot of cramps, I actually enjoyed Le Centre Pompidou. It was very interesting to see old art and sculptures and then modern art all in one day. The crazy thing about modern art is that it literally can mean anything. I saw one painting that was shaped like a triangle, pointed down. One side was painted red, and the other yellow. I checked out the blurb about the painting, and it turns out the artist wanted to ease the "struggle of internal hierarchy" by using these two colors evenly throughout this painting.
Huh, who knew.
Other creations included women made out of tin foil, stockings full of spices hung from the ceiling, and entire rooms painted with black and white stripes.
We stopped in the supermarket to get more groceries and headed home.
Talked about going to the Eiffel Tower for the night light show... Did not happen. That's what being out on the town for 12 hours will do for ya.
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