Paris 2

Continuing our virtual tour of Paris, let me take you to another iconic place in Paris….The Louvre Museum….

Louvre Museum

Located in a huge palace that was once home to the kings of France, The Louvre Museum displays thousands of artworks, many of which are masterpieces. The Louvre Palace occupies a vast expanse of land on the banks of the Seine River. The museum started functioning in the palace as early as 1793. The museum does not occupy the entire palace; part of it being occupied by allied offices. The present day Louvre Palace is a complex of wings and pavilions , many of which have been subjected to various phases of modification, destruction and reconstruction.

It is impossible to cover the entire museum and so, it is better to focus on a particular gallery of one’s choice such as Classical Sculpture, Renaissance art,17th century French paintings, Egyptian antiquities and so on…

The most famous and popular exhibit is of course the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1505.

To get the most out of a visit to the Louvre, one can join the guided tours available where the guide who is also a historian provides commentary on the masterpieces.

Another peculiarity of this museum is that though it owns more than 6 lakh exhibits, only around 35 thousand are physically displayed and the rest can be viewed online.

Entry to the museum in the courtyard of the palace is through the Glass Pyramid…another structure that has grown to be emblematic of Paris. This iconic structure was built in 1983 and has provided a modernist appearance.

Some pictures from Louvre….

The Louvre Museum and Pyramid

A closeup of the glass pyramid

The stairway leading to the inside of the pyramid underground

Inside the Louvre Museum

One of the beautiful ceilings inside the Museum

Some of the displayed artworks

Some pictures of famous exhibits at the Louvre :

The Mona Lisa….the most famous of the lot

The Winged Victory of Samothrace (Greek Sculpture)

Venus de Milo depicting Aphrodite the Greek Goddess of Love

After this treat of artwork, we visited the Opera House…

Palais Garnier Opera House

Another important sight was the Palais Garnier Opera house commissioned by Napoleon. Built with ornate exteriors, this building in baroque style appears very impressive. It hosts variety of events like ballets, classical music concerts and other gala events. It also houses a museum dedicated to opera.

Palais Garnier Opera House

The Notre Dam Cathedral

An impressive monument of Gothic architecture, it has ornately designed exteriors. The stained-glass windows are also very beautiful. A fire in 2019 caused extensive damage to this architectural wonder.

The Notre Dam Cathedral

After a lot of history and architecture, we decided to visit Disneyland for some kiddish fun!

Disneyland Paris

Located around 30 km away from Paris, this entertainment resort houses theme parks, resort hotels, a shopping complex, and a golf course! The layout of this park has been designed on the lines of the parks in California and Florida. It is dedicated to fairy tales and Disney characters.

Though the rain played spoilsport that day, we did manage a pretty decent visit there…some pictures…

After a fun filled day at Disneyland(partly spoilt by the rain) we headed back to the hotel . The next city on the itinerary was Brussels….a short and sweet visit enjoying some waffles….see you next week with the pretty waffle lady….

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