Promenading in Paris: Musee de Louvre, Paris

December 26, 2014

Promenading in Paris: Musee de Louvre, Paris

First of all, I would like to advise all visitors to the Louvre to buy your entrance tickets online (unless you are able to wake up extraordinarily early and queue up before doors open). I reached the Louvre at around 11 in the morning and there was already a long snaking queue, not to enter the museum, but to buy tickets! I bought my tickets online (thank goodness!), and collected it at a tourist centre near Pont Neuf the day before. Hence, I was inside the museum within five minutes. Easy peasy.

Not the main entrance but the place to get into the Louvre's courtyard.

The said courtyard. No, that lady is not posing for me.

It is crowded in the courtyard.

The entrance into the Louvre.

It was really crowded inside. It is to be expected seeing that most tourists to Paris would pay a visit to the Louvre. If you have plenty of time, I would advise taking an audio guide because most of the explanations are written in French, so an audio guide would come in handy. I have a time constraint, so I skipped the audio guide. It is easier to move around the crowds when you are alone, but do be careful of your belongings. Pickpocketing is prevalent inside the museum and the museum makes constant announcements in multiple languages to remind you to be careful. Just be aware of your surroundings, keep all items in the front pockets of your jeans/pants/skirts, and sling/wear your bag/haversack in front. Better to be uncomfortable and safe than to be sorry.

The next series of pictures sums up the Mona Lisa experience...

... where you glimpse at the masterpiece through several heads...

... where taking a good photo is almost next to impossible because there will always be something (or someone) else in the shot...

... and there is really no chance when you're contending with that many people, many who are most likely taller than you are.

The place is monumental and all five floors are populated with artworks. It is amazing how much artworks they have in there. Obviously Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is the big draw, but you will not have time to linger and admire it. Instead, you will be jostling with a large crowd, trying to squeeze your way to the front only to find queue poles and a wooden barricade erected a distance away from the painting blocking your way. There were also security personnel on standby (for crowd control) near the painting. The painting itself is encased in glass, so you can really see how precious the Mona Lisa is. I would summarise the Mona Lisa experience as mainly see, snap and leave.

See other artworks.

Lots of other artworks.

Plenty of other artworks to see.

Other artworks.

On the bright side, the rapid experience with Mona Lisa will leave you with more time for other artworks. There is much to see I assure you. In fact, one afternoon is not enough to complete the monumental Louvre. From what I can work out, there seemed to be three main sections. They are split into different categories with one famous piece as the main draw, paintings (Mona Lisa), sculptures (Venus de Milo), and Egyptian art (The Sphinx). Of course these main draws are touted as ‘must-sees’, in the sense that they are super famous and highly regarded. So do go see them because nothing beats seeing a famous artwork in the flesh. I did and I felt that sense of joy that comes from admiring art “up close”.

Admire Venus de Milo up close. I see abs.

The Sphinx.

Lastly, if you still have time and energy, do go to the adjoining Louvre Printemps (their shopping area) where you can see the inverted glass 'pyramid' that was featured in the film "The Da Vinci Code". It is another picture-worthy spot (and a wallet-busting one as I went a little out of hand at the Longchamp boutique in there). All in all, The Louvre is well worth a visit.