Visiting the Louvre Museum
Bonjour!
Today we are going to visit the Louvre with our cousins. This museum fascinates my mom’s good friend who lives in India. After hearing about it so many times, we will finally see it. Today we will visit the Louvre. I am no stranger to museums. We used to live in the Washington DC area, where the museums are free. But what about the Louvre makes people talk about it so much? What makes it unique, and why do so many people want to visit it in Paris? I will find out today.
The Louvre History
First, let’s go over some history of the Louvre. What is the Louvre?
The Louvre Museum is actually the largest in the world. It covers almost 10,000 years of history. It was initially a palace for the French kings in the 1,200s. During the French Revolution, it became a museum in 1,793. Its collections include art displayed on five levels from the seventh millennium BC to the 1,850s. It has three interconnecting wings, which are named after three important figures from French history:
Richelieu Wing
The Richelieu Wing is named after the chief minister of King Louis XIII. His name was Armand Jean du Plessis, the Cardinal Richelieu. The Richelieu Wing includes sculptures, paintings, decorative arts, and Iranian antiquities.
Sully Wing
The Sully Wing is named after the chief minister of King Henri IV. His name was Maximilien de Béthune, the Duke of Sully. The Sully Wing includes Iranian, Greek, Etruscan, Egyptian, Levant, and Arabia antiquities. This wing also includes paintings and other decorative arts.
Denon Wing
The Denon Wing is named after the first director of the Louvre Museum, Vivant Denon. The Denon Wing includes arts from Islam, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. It also includes Eastern and Egyptian art. Other collections are painting from Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain, and the United States. You will also find Greek and Roman antiquities, The Galerie d’Apollon, French crown jewels, and the painting of the Mona Lisa or La Jaconde in French.
The Mona Lisa Painting
Did you know that the Mona Lisa Painting is the most famous worldwide? I did not know that until recently. It is located in the Denon wing on level one, in room 711, the largest room in the Louvre. To take a picture of it, you must stand in one of two lines, but they move very quickly. With so many people wanting to take a picture of this famous painting, some still struggle to get a clear view of it in the middle of the crowd. The woman’s real name in the Mona Lisa painting was Lisa del Giocondo. She was Italian. Leonardo de Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.
Exploring the Louvre Museum
We are walking to the Louvre, which is only a 15-minute walk from our apartment. It is actually a pleasant walk except for the sun. It is an opportunity to see the local neighborhoods and the shops. So many people are having brunch at several sidewalk cafes, relaxing, and enjoying the ourdoors. Oh, the beauty of the parisian culture! We walk through a beautiful garden before crossing the street to enter the Louvre. We go through a long hallway where the locals sell cold bottled water for two euros or less. A beautiful courtyard with a water fountain and a glass pyramid is at the end of the hallway. There are several lines before going through security. Those with a reserved ticket get in faster, but the ticket costs two euros extra. Those without a reserved ticket must stand in line, but the line moves quickly. We reach the end of the line and go through security, which is inside the phyramid, and then walk down an escalator.
I am surprised to see all the restaurants and shops inside because I did not know museums could have restaurants in them. We proceed to the place to get the tickets. Surprisingly, children under 18 are free. So, my mom buys one ticket for 15 euros. After purchasing the ticket, we go up an escalator where we scan our ticket to enter the museum.
We start looking at some art, sculptures, and statues. I am somewhat uncomfortable because some statues are naked, but I think it is funny. I sometimes try to cover my eyes to not see the sculptures’ private parts. My cousins are laughing nonstop. We tell each other not to look, but there is a language barrier. We mostly speak English, and they mostly speak French and very little Creole, except for me. I am actually fluent in Haitian Creole.
As I look at some of the art, I wonder about the meaning behind them. Many people are staring at a painting, probably trying to understand it. More images confuse me, but I am interested in them. I am still thinking about a painting of a woman tied to a rock with a man pointing an arrow at a sea dragon. I am unsure what it is, but I keep thinking about it. Later, I learned that the woman was named Andromeda. She was sent to be killed by a sea monster because her mother, Queen Cassiopeia, said she was prettier than the gods, which angered them. So, they put Andromeda to be a sacrifice while the sea monster destroyed their land.
We go through an area made of Egyptian sculptures and antiquities. Every now and then, I feel like I am physically in Egypt, experiencing history and other cultures in person.
We are tired after seeing almost the entire museum because we have been walking all day. My mom’s fitness app recorded over 15,000 steps that day. We pass some shops and more restaurants as we look for the exit. We enter a café with all sorts of desserts, the macarons look delicious, but we do not buy anything. My mom says everything in there will be pricier because of its location. Finally, we find the exit and wonder if we should walk back to the apartment. Our legs are hurting, and we are exhausted, so we take the metro back. It does not cost us anything extra since we all have a Navigo pass which gives us unlimited rides for one month.
We get off the metro, and we are hungry, of course. Where should we eat? My mom does not want to spend too much money on eating out, so we go to Subway, where I had the best chicken teriyaki sandwich ever.
So what do I think of the Louvre Museum? Well, I am fascinated by all the art and sculptures. All the history packed in one place fascinates me. At the same time, I am only a kid who still gets embarrassed by certain body parts, so some of it was uncomfortable. However, I am thankful for the opportunity to visit such a massive piece of history.
I look forward to returning someday when I can better appreciate the art. I am still hoping we can find a playground in Paris with swings and slides.
Tomorrow we are heading to Le Petit Palais or The Little Palace in English, so see you there.
See you on my next adventure!
