There are plenty of reasons to Louvre Paris.

The Louvre is the Book in Which We Learn to Read - Cezanne

We arose early today to get to the Louvre as soon as it opened to beat the crowds.  We also used our Paris Pass which helped with the line to get in.  Our plan was not to tour the entire Louvre.... we had a simple plan of viewing the Mona Lisa and whatever happened to be the items along the way to the wing that she called home.

Lucky for us we saw quite a few master pieces along the way.

And the reason we had the Paris Pass.... this is only part of the line!

The outside of the Louvre was almost as much of a museum as the inside

                                                 

                                         

The Inside of the Louvre
We had a plan to tour a little bit of the Louvre but the main goal was to see the Mona Lisa and move on with our day.   Below is some of what we saw on our way to the Mona Lisa wing. 

 

Almost as famous as the Mona Lisa is the Winged Victory statue.  This is at the top of the main stair case when you finally make it into the Louvre.

As with any art museum in Europe you are always going to have your over abundance of Church art.

                                        

Kelly and Tari take a break among the Gothic art

The Louvre likes to tease it's visitors with signs saying you are close to the Mona Lisa.... FYI, if you see the sign you are not close.

Finally, the Grande Dame!   Mona Lisa!

First thing, the Mona Lisa is not as large as one would expect.  It really is just a little larger than a postage stamp.  We all were rather impressed, because as famous as this painting is, one would expect to not be able to get any where near it to take a picture.  At least the day we were there everyone who was viewing it seemed to be conscientious of everyone else who wanted to view it.  Most people spent about 4-5 minutes and then moved on, allowing others to step up closer. 

The Rest of the Louvre

  

For as small as the Mona Lisa is, some of the other paintings are past the large point

The Statue Gallery of the Louvre

 

The Venus di Milo is just as famous if not more so than Mona Lisa.  One of the reasons for traveling is to see things that one would not normally be able to view and to broaden one's views.  The Louvre certainly helps with that goal.

The Three Graces

The Three Graces are from Greek Mythology and symbolize Charm, Beauty, and Creativity.  The Three Graces can be seen in various paintings but  this is the main statue for them.  

Shoes are a Girl's Best Friend...With the Right Shoes a Girl Can Rule The World

From the Louvre, our group headed to the dream spot for Kelly.  We went to the original Christian Louboutin store in Paris.  There was one scary moment for the rest of the group when we all realized that it was a national holiday and there was a good chance the store would be closed.  Thankfully for the group the store was open and we arrived shortly after the start of business hours.  This is very important as there can only be as many customers in the store as sales associates so people eventually end up lined up outside waiting for their chance to shop.

After a successful endeavor... TWO PAIRS!!! (The shoes were actually cheaper here!)

We stopped for bottle of wine at a bistro and then we browsed the shops along the Champs des Elysees on our way to the Arc de Triumphe.

 The pretty pair, Kel also got a "practical" pair

 

Duane and Tari have a casual conversation.

We were all smiles when the wine came out.  Sancerre was again our wine of choice.

After checking out the Louvre, shopping and wandering the streets of Paris, it was time to stop for lunch.

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The restaurant was called Poule Up and means Hen Up.  We stopped here for lunch because the menu looked good and it offered a great place to people watch as we ate.

 No meal is complete without a bottle (or two) of wine

 The appetizers were out of this world.  We had mussels and grilled scallops that were so good we had to grab our waiter to order it one more time before our main courses arrived. 

 Tari's lunch looks like a rice cake made of seafood and rice

Kelly's lunch was a simple, but tasty ravioli.

Duane's dish contained a side of mash potatoes that were so buttery they couldn't be good for you

Jamie's dish came wrapped in foil and when opened displayed a wonderful seafood dish drenched in a flavorful sauce

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 After our meal, the only thing left was a poor shrimp carcass.

Wandering the Streets of Paris

As we wondered after lunch we stumbled across the courtyard below.  We had no idea what the courtyard was for, but you can bet we were going to play on the smaller stumps.

 

Tari was happy that she was finally the same height as Kelly

 Bikes are a very important part of Paris.  Many Parisians utilize bikes on a regular basis. It was not uncommon to see a bike rental place on most street corners.

 Walking the streets we walked by a Japanese restaurant that proudly displayed samples of their dishes in the window.  Have to admit, that did not make us want to eat there. 

Time for More Shopping!

Poor Jamie was saddled with the bags from previous shops as Kelly and Tari hit the streets near the Champs de Elysees.

 A girl can never have to many handbags!

Of course Duane and Jamie had to get a picture of the store named after a James Bond moive.  Don't ask what the shop sold, no one had a clue, but you have to admit, the name Octopussy is original for a shop

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Making Our Way to Arc de Triomphe

Not so sadly for Kelly, the most direct way to the Arche de Triumph was walking down the Champs de Elysees.  The most famous shopping street in the world.  Walking down the street you saw common stores like Nike, Sephora, and Gap, but  you also saw many flag ship stores (or original stores) like Louis Vuitton.  

                                  

Finally made our way to the Arc de Triomphe!

Go to 5/26/15