Louvre Museum

The ticket takers at the Louvre decided to go on strike so they opened the gates and let everyone in for free for a while. This of course happened AFTER we had already bought our tickets. Grrr. Apparently there is a lot of stress involved in the job, check out this article on BBC NEWS: Louvre staff strike over stress.

We got there pretty early in the morning, shortly after they opened. People who have been here before recommended that we get in and go straight for the Mona Lisa before it gets too crowded. There was already a bit of a crowd there but not bad. We spent our 5 minutes staring at it and commenting to each other that it's way smaller than it's made out to be. It's alone on a wall built in the middle of a room. There is a wood barrier around it to prevent the visitors from getting too close and the painting itself is behind glass.

After getting that out of the way we spent the next three or so hours wandering around the museum. We caught as many of the highlights as we could, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, Napoleon's Apartment, the Egyptian stuff of course, etc.

Click on thumbnail for a full-size picture
Approaching the Louvre from our hotel.	From the pyramid.	Some arch across from the pyramid.
The Parisians may not like it but the pyramid is pretty cool.	Cool spiral staircase under the pyramid.	Interesting upside down pyramid in the underground mall.
Louvre staff on strike.	Free admission today.	Winged Victory.
Another view.	Hall of paintings near the Mona Lisa.	Interesting Egyptian-like statue, Antinous in Osiris circa 130 BC.
Crown from the French Crown Jewel collection.	The ancient Greek status Venus de Milo circa 130-100 BC.	Say no to crack.
Painting in the same room by C. Meynier.	Huge Greek vase.	Figures with Minotaur, Athens 540 BC.
One of the huge sculpture gardens.	Some of the sculpture in the garden.	Anyone know what this is?
Another one.	Vase in Napoleon's apartment.	Throne.
Another Egyptian themed vase.	Dining room.	Another angle.
Grand Salon. My eyes hurt.	Bit much? Lily didn't think so.	Limestone colossal vase, Cyprus.
Glazed brick Lion from reign of Darius I circa 510 BC.	Enormous capital of a column of the courtroom of Darius I.	Egyptian or Roman vase "Eagle of Sugar"?
From Barcelona 14th or 15th century.	Gnome on a Snail, 16th century Florence.	Obelisk of king Akkad about 2270 BC.
Assyrian Bull with wings.	Code of Hammurabi, one of the first recorded sets of laws circa 1760 BC.	Close-up of some of the text on the back of Hammurabi's code.
Statue of a Lion.	Vanuatu sculpture.	Easter Island?
Sculpture of Hawaiian circa 1878.	Aztec tablet.	Coffin for the mummy of Tacheretpaankh.
Even an Egyptian themed painting on the ceiling.	Taharqa presents a gift to the god Horus.	The family of the god Osiris.
Pectoral in the name of Ramses II.	King Amenophis IV, aka Anktenaton 1350 BC.	Ankenaton and Nefertiti 1345 BC.
Sarcophagus of of Ramses II made of granite.	Cover of the sarcophagus of Hor made of diorite.	Statue of god Horus.

Comments From People Like You! Louvre Museum : Paris, France 2007	add a comment
carmen 01-Mar-2007 22:58
Ya'll didn't bootleg a photo with the Mona Lisa?? We did!! Shhhh....

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