Overwhelming Paris

Wow! What a day in Paris!


After my exciting night last night, I managed to rouse myself out of bed at 8:30 and went down for breakfast - bread, butter and a bowl of hot chocolate. I hadn't realized how big this hostel is but there were probably 100 people downstairs - a big school group waiting to check out, and lots of people eating.


I went for a short walk before deciding that I was feeling good and would tackle the Louvre today. What a day it was!!


Now updating Monday morning...


I got there and got in the line outside "the pyramid". At first I thought the line was for tickets but it was actually for the bag scanner. I put my backpack through, went downstairs, and got my ticket! In the pyramid is the coolest elevator ever - that column that rises up inside the spiral staircase.

[Click any picture to enlarge]

[Louvre disclaimer: I didn't try to take really good pictures of the most famous pieces of art since my little camera could not do them justice. Instead, I'll link to good pictures and information about any pieces that I mention.]


I studied my map for a while and decided to start at the top and work my way down, so I went up to the second floor and started with Dutch painters from the 15th - 17th century. I saw a few more Vermeer paintings, and every other painting in that section looked more or less like this one:

Also, Rembrandt is supposed to be this "great painter" but he seems like kind of a one trick pony... (JOKING) Still, the man loved his self portraits!

I moved into an area of French paintings and learned a lot about Corot, who I hadn't known much about. Here is a painting of his that I liked:

In many rooms, the Louvre had racks of placards about the artwork that you could pick up and read - they were like mini-lectures. They could be a little hit-or-miss, since not every room had them and I couldn't always find one in English. (They had French, Spanish, German, English, and Chinese.) Still, they were incredibly helpful since I hadn't been able to find a tour to go on. Here is what a lot of the museum looked like to me:

At this point, I was really hungry, so I left the museum, walked several blocks away, ate lunch and then returned. I briefly considered eating at the museum until I saw they were charging 15 Euros for grilled cheese.


Coming back from my lunch break, I was ready to tackle the first floor - the most famous artwork and crowded galleries. I stood for an embarassingly long time at the bottom of these stairs looking at my map and trying to orient myself - if only there were some huge and famous work of art nearby!

(That's Winged Victory at the top of the stairs.)


I admired Winged Victory up close for a few minutes, and then, following the horde, I made my way to the most crowded room in the museum and approached the lady herself:

I elbowed my way to the front of the crowd, amused at all the people around me taking camera phone pictures - because that's really going to do it justice. Also, I overheard one conversation between Americans which made me proud of my countrymen: "Here, take a picture and we'll make it look like I'm picking her nose." Excellent.


I studied the picture for a while before finally being jostled out of the way, and then found a card/placard about the painting and learned all about what I'd just seen. (In retrospect, it would have been better to read the card before but I didn't see the card rack in time.)


Here is the crowd of people gathered around the Mona Lisa. It's too bad there's nothing else in this room worth looking at.

After the Mona Lisa, I got lost but then saw signs for another famous lady:

Grateful to Venus for helping me orient myself (and for being so beautiful), I headed across the museum to the Napoleanic apartments. I felt guilty for marching quickly past a lot of great artwork but it was already nearly 4:00 and my feet were starting to really hurt. Also, there's some comedian who makes a joke about "anyone who drives slower than you is an idiot and faster is a maniac." I've decided the same is true of art galleries: anyone who moves through faster than you is unappreciative, and slower than you is pretentious.


Here are a few of the objects I liked from the Napolean apartments and the decorative arts section.


Inlaid wood:

Future living room:

Clever urn:

As if I hadn't seen enough beautiful things today, Paris decided to outdo itself as I was leaving the museum:

That's enough, Paris. We get it.


I went back to my hostel and sat around for about 45 minutes, resting my feet and trying to decide where I should get dinner. Finally, I decided to get the best falafel in Paris, and set out. My plan for the evening was to get my falafel, then walk over and see Notre Dame all lit up, and then walk to the Eiffel Tower. In my head, this would be a good meal and a lovely evening walk, and I'd be back at the hostel in two or three hours.


Four hours later, I limped up to the Eiffel Tower (my feet had had a long day).

It was bigger than I expected, and very beautiful all lit up. It was cheesy, but I liked when they made all the lights "dazzle". I sat on a bench, resting my feet, gazing up at the tower. I overheard an American couple arguing: the man wanted to go up to the top of the tower but the woman did not. "C'mon," he said, "It'll just take a minute." Of all the things in the world I would describe as "just taking a minute", ascending to the top of the Eiffel Tower would not be one of them. I don't know if he won this or not.


I purchased a snack from a nearby crepes stand and leaned against a railing, my back to the Siene, looking at the tower.  Finally, I realized I should make my way home, and crossed the Siene to start walking.
A few meters into this walk, I resolved that I would get on the Metro at the first station I saw. I walked for a while right along the Siene and then I saw a sign that said "Metro". I had to cross a bridge over the roadway. There was writing all over the railing, and I took a closer look:

I had happened upon the Pont de l'Alma, where Princess Diana was killed. A lot of the inscriptions had dates and I was amazed to see how many of these notes were recent. I read through a lot of the notes and then got on the Metro and went home, totally exhausted.

As much as I'm enjoying Paris, I will have to move on quickly. This city is SO expensive - I'm paying $45/night for my top bunk in a 12 person dorm room with no bathroom*, and this city has an impressive aversion to cheap food, so I will have to have another jam-packed day today, and then move on to another (cheaper) city in France. Someday I will become a millionaire, and then make a triumphant return to Paris!


*for those of you who are not hostel-goers, I could get a similar room for $20 in London, $25 in New York, $22 in Rome, or $20 in Vienna.