TILT: (Thu) Paris day 2 -- the Louvre

Then it was off to the Louvre.




I got there very early, so early in fact that I was the ONLY ONE in the room with the Venus de Milo for about five minutes -- the proof is in this picture.




The thing fills up quickly, so I didn't have much time that way -- as this next picture proves (taken about one hour later as I looped back around).




Most interesting things are the Venus and the Victory of Samothrace -- with it's new found finger separately. Odd. As Rick Steves noted, it's like having someone give you the finger.






The least interesting thing: not surprisingly the Mona Lisa. Here it is, in all it's ... glory.




Ugh. Could something be further away and harder to see and more crowded. Unbelievable.

I looked at it for a minute and then went in search of art I could actually see.

And, I found some.

It's the Louvre after all: the largest museum ever. Converted palace by the revolutionaries into a museum so the masses could see what previously only the nobility and wealthy courtiers could. Good work, republicans! I applaud your libertie, egalite, and fraternite. Of course, we Americans beat you to the revolution thing by a few years. We're happy however to have you follow in our footsteps. Ok, really, that was just uncalled for. Hooray for the French.