If there is one place I wish I had more time to visit, it's this beautiful museum. Louvre is more than just the pyramid structure you see outside. A collection of treasures from different parts of the world are displayed inside. I don't think you have to be an art or history lover to appreciate the place. I admit that my knowledge in history is limited but my boyfriend is a history buff, therefore the place is like a "heaven" for him. A day is not enough to see everything inside the museum but I don't think a person would love to stay there the whole day. You'll need a break because it could be an overwhelming place even for an art enthusiast! I believe that it is a place that you have to visit more than once and spend an adequate time each tour.
The Louvre just like the Eiffel Tower is a popular landmark of Paris. People did not agree with the installation of the pyramids at first because they're far from the classic architecture. I think it's the best thing since sliced bread! The pyramids are simply incredible. Some people don't get the chance to visit what is inside the Louvre, but seeing the huge glass metal pyramid is already a lovely surprise! Anyway, I decided to write about Louvre into different parts, there's too many pictures to share for just one blog's post.
Yup, we're jumping here and there! We still had a lot of energy on these pictures. We came here before noon to take pictures of the Louvre's outside structures. After seeing the crowd, we decided to come back in the afternoon and stay there until closing. We visited on a beautiful Wednesday and we figured that it was better to spend our daytime to see other parts of Paris like Jardin de Tuileries and Place de la Concorde. It was also the time when we had the chance to see the Eiffel Tower at close range. When we came back in the afternoon, the lines of tourists were gone!
Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed on Tuesdays ( People usually plan a day trip to Versailles on this day.)
Wednesday, Friday: from 9 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.
There is always a long queue at the main entrance of the museum which is located at the center of the Louvre. To avoid the long line of people, there are other entrances in the museum that you can go. Porte des Lions which is in the east of the Pont Royal, Rue du Rivoli and Arc du Carousel is the underground entrance to Louvre, it is located at the Metro station Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre platform on line 1. The lines on these entrances are shorter.
Now, let's discover what's inside Louvre!
The Winged Victory of Samothrace
There were so many beautiful sculptures at the Louvre and this is one of my favorites. The Winged Victory of Samothrace aka the goddess Nike. I did a mistake of not capturing a picture of its side to capture its glorified wings! Arrghhh! You can google some pictures of this statue, it's even more beautiful in person.
Even the overhead architecture of the museum looks beautiful!
This is obviously the most visited painting in the museum, therefore a huge crowd was expected. We waited for the opportunity to slip through the crowds so we can take a better picture of her. I was so curious why this painting is so popular. Mona Lisa is also known as La Gioconda ( which means "light-hearted woman" in Italian) was painted by the great Renaissance artist Leonardo Da Vinci. I didn't have that much expectation for this painting, I know it would be a small piece of art based on what I heard from others, my boyfriend told me not to expect much from it, even told me that my excitement wouldn't be like when I saw the Van Gogh paintings (I love colorful abstract paintings, he likes the classical). Oh well, I think that there is really something so mysterious about this Mona Lisa, her very subtle smile and that deeply enigmatic gaze! It's a perfect example of "picture is worth a thousand words".
Napoleon Bonaparte On The Battlefield Of Eylau by Antoine-Jean Gros
Napoleon is one of my boyfriend favorite historical characters and you will see plenty of paintings that portray the multiple facets of Napoleon I and his empire.
She was crown by her husband not the pope. Napoleon was so powerful, he wasn't afraid of breaking the "customary rules".
La Liberté guidant le peuple by Eugène Delacroix
The painting shows a woman leading the people forward over the bodies of the fallen, she was holding the flag during the French Revolution in 1830 .The female figure is known as Marianne, the Goddess of Liberty, a symbol of France and the French Republic.
The Rebellious Slave by Michelangelo
Dying Slave by Michelangelo.
Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, sculpture by Antonio Canova
My favourite sculpture in the museum. It's so beautiful! The story behind this piece of art is so romantic. Yes, I'm a sucker for a romantic story. The name of the girl is Psyche and this is her story (click "here").
Here's an excerpt, click on the link if you think it's interesting:
Once upon a time there was a king with three daughters. They were all beautiful, but the most beautiful was the youngest, Psyche. So beautiful, in fact, that people began to worship her instead of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. This made Venus very jealous, so she asked her son, Cupid, to make Psyche fall in love with a horrible monster. However, when Cupid saw how beautiful she was, he dropped the arrow meant for Psyche and pricked himself with it, falling in love with her. Source: The Louvre website
You'll be amazed by these incredible beautiful artworks at the museum. Some paintings and sculptures are really amusing, it makes you want to learn the meaning behind these pieces. There are thousands of paintings, sculptures, artifacts etc. in the museum, you'll need more than one visit to see them all. Stay tune! On my next post, I'll be talking about some artifacts from some ancient histories!
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