Louvre

We, I, underestimated the time that a trip to the Louvre would take.  The variety of art and sculpture are overwhelming and just as you think that you have finished one area, an item catches your attention and a new venue is opened for exploration. While we were there several, many, school groups were also visiting. I began to envy those children for their access to such treasure (note one of the photos below shows that not all of them agreed with my assessment).

The entrance to the Louvre is from a large plaza.  People will pose for pictures even if they don't know you. 

The actual entrance is below ground in this modern assembly area. 

The Arc de Carousel  is one of the bookmarks for the Louvre entrance plaza. It is also at the opposite end of the Champs-Elysee from the Arc de Triomphe. 

inside view of pyramid. scale can be seen by man standing on balcony. 

There is so much to see that the museum is divided into four major sections and each of those has several sub categories, as shown by this directory of just one quadrant. 

fantastic ceilings abound

Venus de Milo 

I seriously doubt this is true.  Praxiteles may have sculpted the first but "invented" ?

There is a room full of what appears to be clay toys for children. 

Napoleon had extravagant tastes 

Emerald serving dishes

Lapis drinking bowls

The  museum allows artists to set up their easels to copy works of art. 

France's crown jewels

just a card table made from precious stones and jewels. 

Gilded paintings for churches

sculptures added to ornate ceilings provide a depth of vision for the paintings

Mona Lisa

crowds are omnipresent at Mona Lisa

These paintings are representations of people done by painting veggies to symbolize the four seasons. 

detail of one of the veggie people

Not everyone is enthralled with the art. 

one of the more famous French Liberty paintings

Classroom at the louvre

This and three others are flat painted on a ceiling their three dimensional appearance is very realistic 

the pyramids have opened some of the courtyard areas with light.

Apollo chasing Daphne -- what fun is had when the museum closes at night

expansive courtyards reduce the massive sculptures to smaller images. 

Street art isnot so  impressive as that inside. 

hot chocolate at the end of a grueling day is welcome and enjoyed.