I know, big shock there. Hey, we were headed to The Louvre, and knew we were going to need some serious sustenance.
As we munched we hopped on the Metro and figured out our route to the museum du jour.
We actually entered straight from the underground, so I didn't take this photo until we were exiting.
This is where we came in...
My sweet DH checked out our tour options while I wandered through the sculpture galleries. I must confess that I'm a sucker for sculpture, especially the marble pieces. It was great to take my time and not feel like I was fighting the masses.
The Virgin Mary and the Baby Jesus were the most common sculpted figures. It was interesting to note the different styles and expressions on their faces.
This one was the happiest:
I loved this one; see how the baby Jesus is gripping her finger? As a mother, I really connected with this piece. It was sculpted by Agostino di Duccio sometime between 1464 and 1469.
I had been waiting to see a figure like this--I love the draping of the fabric, and the veil was superb.
Look at it; isn't it amazing?!
This one of Cupid and Psyche was also wonderful; I love the expressions on their faces.
Then of course, we had to take a minute at Winged Victory of Samothrace. It was majestic.
And we saw her--the Venus de Milo.
I also loved this painting of Christ, His mother Mary, and her mother Saint Anne, by Leonardo da Vinci. Lovely.
We saw da Vinci's Mona Lisa, but it was such a madhouse that taking a photo was virtually impossible. Oh well.
While we were looking at the paintings, we came across this famous one by Delacroix; July 28. Liberty Leading the People.
Having spent a good portion of the previous day soaking in the opulence and grandeur of the French kings and queens, I could more fully appreciate the revolutionary spirit of the people.
After spending several hours wandering the Louvre, we were ready to have some lunch in the fresh air. We grabbed some baguette sandwiches (our regular lunch staple) from a vendor and headed to a park near the museum to enjoy the sunshine.
After finishing our lunch we headed to the nearby, smaller Musée de l'Orangerie, a tip from our tour guide Pauline. The museum holds a collection of Monet's water-lily paintings, known as the Nympheas. They are housed in large, white oval rooms, preceded by another white room designed to allow you a moment to stop and reflect, distancing yourself from the outside world before viewing the paintings.
They were massive, and just lovely.
There were also works by other impressionist artists, including Monet.
And when we stepped outside, we were met by this wonderful Rodin sculpture:
Once we left the museum, we knew it was time to get some dinner before starting our journey home. Unfortunately, Paris is not designed for early diners. We had a hard time finding a restaurant that was ready to serve dinner at 5:00 pm. Eventually we ended up at the same restaurant we went to our first night in Paris; even though they weren't officially ready for us, they accomodated us anyway.
These are some of the sights we saw as we worked our way back to the restaurant:
These jazz musicians were wonderful, and had quite a crowd of listeners.
And of course, we had artists and accordian players around for good measure!
We had dinner on the terrace of this lovely restaurant, and enjoyed our time there very much. The creamy sauces, the incredible baguettes, the rich desserts....mmmmm. Plus, we had a stunning view of the Notre Dame Cathedral from our seats. Can it get any better?
After our dinner, we rushed back to our hotel to pick up our bags and head to the train station. Of course we had to stop at our bakery to pick up some goodies to take back...um, for the children. Yeah, the children.
This photo was taken at the end of the day, so the pickings were decidely slimmer than in the morning. It was all wonderful, and we guarded our baguettes and croissants like treasure on the way home!
Now it's to the train station, and home to the kids, the unpacking, and the laundry.
Maybe we could stay an extra day?
2 comments:
lovely posts, even though I couldn't be there I felt the magic of that city, I loved Paris and want to go back with no children and with greater time on our hands. So glad that you both enjoyed your wonderful time there for your anniversary and were able to do that for yousrselves, you deserve it!
Paris!!! I've always wanted to go. Sounds like you had a marvelous time!! Did you smash an ice cream cone on hubby like Audrey Hepburn did in Charade?
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