Today was set aside for only one monumental (heh) attraction: The Louvre. Our reserved ticket for 10am gave us plenty of time to map our way across the Seine and when we arrived via metro the ticket holder’s line was pretty reasonable.

We had an idea of the top things we wanted to see, and so we sat down with the map and museum guide outside of the cafe and plotted a route. Then, just as we were entering the Sully wing, we picked up an audioguide, which is all built on a Nintendo 3DS. Some of it was tricky to use but the commentary was quite good.

First up, and because it only gets busier during the day, we followed the signs through the Dennon wing to the quirky smile of the Mona Lisa.

But on the way there, you pass by Winged Victory a fantastic piece of Greek sculpture depicting Nike as she celebrates a marine victory. I don’t pretend to have a deep appreciation for sculpture, but nonetheless found her quite majestic and inspiring

Onward! Even at this time of day the entire salle where the Mona Lisa resides was filled with a snakey line waiting to greet her. The same gallery was also filled with other period pieces, which no one seemed to be observing. This line also moved reasonably well and we were up to the portrait within about 15 minutes.

We knew to be a bit underwhelmed as the portrait itself is smaller than you might expect, and the crush of selfie posers certainly detracts from the momentary experience you have (really just a few seconds) when you finally get to the front. Still, there she is, and a number of people around you are sufficiently well-versed about her place in art history to give you a proxy lesson on her significance, just by overhearing their conversations

Near the Mona Lisa are halls of French paintings that have also marked turning points in art: the Raft of the Medusa, the Coronation of Napoleon, and Liberty Leading the People are all here and we spent a while observing and listening to our audioguide about them.

We continued through the Dennon in the general direction of the Sully again, and finally arrived at the 3rd of the most sought after trio – the Venus de Milo, also an incredible work whose origins are lost to history. The sculpture is also very well presented and her story is well told in the commentary.

Again, though, it has felt almost surreal to be up close to these masterpieces that are so well known to Western civilization, and you do realize how impossible it is to convey their presence in a book or film.

Naturally we saw many other important works as we wandered through the vast halls, once home to the kings of France. Pottery and frescos, Egyptian art and medieval structures (even a moat), sculptures and decoration on every surface (don’t forget to look up!) – a fantastically inspiring experience.

But as with most museum experiences,  we eventually became saturated and by early afternoon we were ready for a snack at the cafe, a couple of souvenirs and a metro ride back to the hotel. We took a short rest and then made plans for the evening.

Quite by accident we discovered that a university friend of mine, Chris, was also in Paris this week. He’s staying at a family apartment right next to the Eiffel Tower to oversee some work being done with the place, and through an email and text chain we were able to coordinate a visit.

Unfortunately Sharon had not fully recovered from feeling uncomfortable last night and decided she would stay at the hotel, but I made my way across town and found my friend at a window of a Houseman building so close to the tower that people were constantly taking selfies in the lane next door. He and his mom are there for the week and we had a great visit.

Part of that visit was a dinner in the neighbourhood at a restaurant called Pottoka, where we enjoyed “Southwestern French” cuisine. The place was quite small – maybe 15-20 people dining there, and the food was very good. Have you ever had “razor clams” before?

Then we were back to the apartment and as Chris and I hadn’t seen each other since well before the pandemic the rest of the evening flew by as we enjoyed a bottle of delicious wine. At 10pm the tower put on a sparkle show and we toasted with champaign.

Tomorrow will be a travel day but we will still have the morning and early afternoon in Paris so we decided the see about visiting Less Invalides all together if Sharon is feeling up for it. I hopped back on the metro and made my way back to the hotel and Sharon was feeling improved. We made some plans and crossed our fingers that a service strike starting tomorrow won’t mess with them too badly.

Tomorrow, Avignon!