The Louvre, is the most well known museum in the world, and also the most visited. It has become a place for people that love art and history to visit and get lost in. If you are one of the people that find museums boring and don't wish to visit them, this one will leave you breathless. I have to admit that I had heard of the beauty that that Louvre holds I never imagined how I would feel walking down the halls seeing all the history and beauty in person. This is one place that people that can try to describe but no words can truly do it justice. I will tell you about my trip through the most wonderful museum in the world and things you should know before you visit.
The first thing that you should know is that you will not be allowed to take anything that is sharp or considered a weapon into the museum. A person I was traveling with brought a butter knife in case we stopped to eat at a cafe and they took it from her, and its a hassle to get things back. They will also scan your bags, and camera upon entering so make sure that if you are using film to using 400 ISO or less. They say that scanners can't damage film 800 ISO and under, but you aren't really safe unless you go 400 or less. And also its a good idea to make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to see the museum.
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| Winged Victory |
The size of the museum is something that few people are prepared for, I was told that if you were to spend one minute looking at every single piece that the Louvre has without any breaks you would be there for four months. While I don't know if this is true, I have to admit, while I was there it seemed very true. The first stop on my trip to the Louvre was the classics and most famous pieces of art in the entire museum. That would be, you guessed it, the Mona Lisa, and Winged Victory. These are two very crowded areas of the museum and if you want to see the Mona Lisa, you should be prepared to wait in line. Also please note that photographs of any paintings are not allowed. The potential flash will damage the paintings and fade them. So you will not be able to take photos of the Mona Lisa or Madonna of the Rocks. But you can take photos of the famous Winged victory. I have to admit that after seeing all the masterpieces in person Winged Victory is the one that took my breath away. There is something very powerful when you are standing in front of it. I have to admit that I wish I had spent more time the Greek and Roman section of the museum as this is where the famous piece Winged Victory is as well as the Venus De Milo is. There are many potteries and other things that deserved more time than I had.
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| Burial Mask |
While most people will think of the art such as paintings and sculptures there are many others things that can be found at the Louvre. There are a ton of sections and I didn't even get to see every section. I have always had a love for Egyptian history so the first stop I made after the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory was the Egyptian antiquities collection. There is so much that you can see in this section, from mummies, and burial pieces to clothes and jewelry there is a piece of every Egyptian lifestyle. I have to admit I spent most of my first day in this area of the museum. I still feel like I could have stayed longer. I felt like I was in a trance just looking at the history that I was surrounded with. There are pieces from all times in history Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, Roman and Coptic Art, Ptolemaic, and Byzantine. There are things such as mummies, and burial masks and canopic jars, and trinkets, and clothes. There seems to be a taste of everything in this collection.
The painting section has to be the most well known area of the Louvre as this is where you can find pieces like the Mona Lisa and Madonna of the Rocks. Works by Rembrandt and Da Vinci, as well as many other master's work are hanging on these walls. In fact in this area of the museum don't even think about taking our your camera as they will not allow photographs due to the fact the flash will damage the paintings. Here is another little known fact, should something ever happen and a fire break out in the musuem, water is the not going to fall, it will be sand to ensure that they works are not harmed. This is how commited the museum is to keeping their pieces safe. It's easy to loose yourself looking at the paintings that line the walls and even ceilings in the museum.
The only other area of the museum that I really got to explore was the sculpture section. This section held a lot of interesting pieces that caught my eye. Some people might call some of the pieces a little creepy or disturbing, but I found them to be something that I wanted to learn more about. There were so many pieces that help my attention for a long period of time. The power that they hold over you while you are looking at this is something that can't be explained. Some of these sculptures give you a feeling of what the artist must have been feeling while creating it. I would say this is one of the most powerful museums sections that I have ever been in, from any museum.
Sadly there were many other sections that I was unable to visit in depth such as the prints and drawings section, the decorative arts, Islamic arts, Near Eastern antiquities, and perhaps a couple of other sections I am forgetting about. I spent two days at this museum and wish I could have spent more time there. Although I have to admit that no amount of time would feel like enough in this place. If you find yourself in Paris, its a must to visit the Louvre but its also a good idea to plan at least a couple days to go if you can. Its also a good idea to know if there are any certain pieces that you want to see as if you don't make sure that you see them at first then you migth miss them, as you can get lost in this place very easily.
If you notice when you step outside there is a large pyramid that you can see. This is the pyramid that is featured in the Da Vinci Code, but it has a longer history that is much more interesting. This glass pyramid stands outside the Louvre and has a mirror pyramid that is known as the inverted pyramid that can be seen in the Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall. While the shopping mall is not that well known its a place worth seeing as there are many nice shops and you can see the inverted pyramid. While many people think this is a smaller version of the large pyramid that is incorrect. This pyramid is the same size, just upside down, the base can be seen from outside. The large pyramid outside is also surround by smaller pyramids that look the same just smaller in scale.
The Louvre open
Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 9-6
Wednesday and Friday 9-9:45
Closed on Tuesdays
Closed on French Holidays Dec. 25, Jan. 1, and May 1
On Dec. 24 and 31 the museum closes at 5
Rooms will start to close 30 minutes before closing
A day ticket is €10
