Remember that AWESOME breakfast I talked about on Day 1? Yeah...me, too...still remembering it...
OK, back on track...Well, we didn't have our awesome breakfast this day. And, that was a HUGE mistake...especially if you're a first-time visitor to Paris, and you're about to take on the Louvre. I like to think of the Louvre much in the same way as Pauly thought about his burrito at the Food Mart: hot on the outside, icicle in the middle*.
What do I mean by that? Well, it was grand, magnificent, beautiful!
And, then we got inside. I am just not moved by huge pictures of a bloody Christ on the cross or weird winged things taking women with babies clinging to their teat.
They were dark, scary, just not my cup of tea. Yes, I realize there must be much more to the Louvre than that, but Hubby really wanted to see the Lady...the Mona Lisa, that is...so we made a beeline to here. Of course we found a crowd when we got there, and she looked really pissed from far away...but then that smile softened when we got closer. It was an odd thing that, but then the rumor is that da Vinci was rather clever.
I mean, I liked walking the halls: I found Winged Victory, a sculpture I'd never seen and fell in love with.
Venus de Milo was much more impressive in person:
But overall, just not diggin' the Louvre. Had a nice little shop, though...more on those later!
It didn't help that the exit from the Egyptian wing was blocked off, so we had to circle around, like rats in a maze, until we got to another exit. That's when the rum-rums REALLY made themselves known. I became like a child: cranky, hungry, thirsty, feet hurting, whining...it's a wonder Hubby didn't leave me to my own devices to get out. (He knew if he did, I'd get lost and starve to death.)
Finally, we emerged: big, beautiful blue sky overhead, and fresh air!
Onto the Tuileries Gardens we went, where we had some fine French street food: ham and Swiss baguette for me, Croque Monsieur for Hubby. Ah, the good eats in Paris just kept on comin'...finally the rum-rums were gone. I was ready to take on an afternoon of more sightseeing...after a crepe that is. Mine is the chocolate one...of course.
* For those of you who missed it: YES, I DID link my trip to Paris to Encino Man. BINGBONGBOOM!
I always forget how small the mona lisa is!
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