Journal no. 3

 more backlog for my 2012 trip.
oh yes, we went to the Louvre.
it may be super packed with tourists, but it was frigging awesome (duh).
the guides i read in preparation for the visit had said to plan your trip because you won't be able to see everything in a week, much less a day.
and it's true. that Museum is filled to the brim with beautiful things.

 the Louvre started as a fortress built in 1190. holy sheez!
here is the exterior leading to the carriage entrance with the high arch ceilings.
the adverts are for the restored "The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne".
 we got the Museum Pass so we entered the museum via the very much shorter queue at the Pyramid.
 very crowded because we arrived at noon. as you can see, it's true about the Chinese tourists.
 there are certain pieces that everyone wants to see.
here is one of them - Venus de Milo.


funny to see and be part of the swarm of people trying to take pictures of her.
i guess it would be more meaningful if your face was in the picture with her in the background, but that's not really possible here.
 while certain areas are jam-packed with people, other areas are jam-packed with statues.
 glorious and intricate gold ceiling.
 detail from Botticelli's Venus and The Three Graces. gorgeous.
 other one of the famous sculptures - Winged Victory of Samothrace.
the setting is very grand because it's on top of the staircase landing, so it's like people are climbing up to pay their respects to it.
it's headless and winged and it's actually standing on a ship.
 cousin wanted to see the Mona Lisa but i knew that there was no chance of seeing it properly in the afternoon when everyone else also needed to see her too.
we still went though. and i took pictures of the people taking her picture.
 lunch time! uncle E recommended Cafe Marly which overlooks the Pyramid.
it was a splendid place to have lunch. swanky wait staff (all looked like models, and the waitresses worn their own outfits with killer heels)!
 i had the Steak tartare (raw meat!) and it was super delicious, but i am gutted that i don't have picture of it.
so here is a picture of our dessert.
it was funny to see my cousin drink 50% of his mom's coffee.
 the view from the second floor of the cafe?
 after lunch we walked to Palais Garnier. but we didn't go in to see the fancy grand staircase, which was a pity.
 then we went to Galeries Lafayette because all of us had shopping orders to fulfill and auntie V said it's the most convenient place to do the tax refund for branded goods.
they weren't kidding about the Chinese tourists there too.
had to wait in the queue for almost an hour to enter the Louis Vuitton store and it was a stressful experience buying stuff there. /not cool
 then we went back to the Louvre.
this is our second attempt to see the famous Mona Lisa.
seriously. the barrier is set so far that we can barely make out her face. but yeah, i can now say that i did see it.
on the flip side, the wall opposite to the Mona Lisa had an enormous epic painting (Veronese's Wedding of Cana). i didn't take a picture of it but it was 242 times more compelling that the ML.

oh man, i wish i had more time to stare at all those beautiful paintings.
 this is from Napoleon III's apartments, i think. sumptuous!
 sumptuous!!!!
this would be my favorite space - Cour Marly.
unfortunately i didn't have time to "let the art speak to me" here because we were rushing down to the Egyptian section before the museum closed.
my cousin was telling me to control myself with my photo taking because we had to hustle. lol
 i am very upset that we practically ran through this section - Louvre Medieval!
that is the Tomb of Philippe Pot.
 cousin and the Sphinx.
we only had 10~ minutes in the Antiquites Egyptiennes section before the museum closed. :(
 stunning!!

 i super want to go back to the Louvre someday.