Death by Louvre

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Sorry about no blog yesterday, we nearly killed ourselves by spending about nine hours in the Louvre... that's more than a day's work! Sheesh. It was, of course, very interesting to see the amazing works of art by the Great Masters; in addition we saw the Egyptian collection, the recently excavated medieval Louvre, and the objets d'art. Dan loved the architechtural details in the paintings by Van der Heyden and many of the other Dutch masters. Cathleen enjoyed the two Vermeer paintings (the Astrologer and the Lacemaker) as well as some of the jewelry on display. It was a long day but it was well worth all the walking.

This morning we headed back to Notre Dame and climbed the bell towers, another activity well worth the price (in Euros and footsteps). Inside the belfry, the walls are lined with huge timbers to protect the masonry from the vibrations and which help to project the sound of the bells down. The bells are not original, as the Revolutionaries melted down the original bells for their cause, but we did get to hear them chime twice while we were up there, and they sound beautiful. After a wonderful lunch with a bottle of wine we visited the Museum of the Middle Ages and the Baths of Cluny. The building is one of two secular medieval buildings left in Paris, and it was built on the ruins of the Roman baths. Interesting stuff to see, although it might have been more interesting if we hadn't seen similar objects in the Louvre yesterday. 😊

We hope to update the blog again tomorrow, our last full day in Paris. We won't have computer access (well, without paying for it) in the Alps, but we love the emails and comments we're getting! Keep 'em coming!

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Photos

From a window in the Louvre
Looking into the courtyard of the Louvre. The Louvre is shaped like a really long horseshoe. This shot is looking down the two "wings" of the horseshoe.

Eiffel Tower at Night
Eiffel Tower peeking over the top of the Musee d'Orsay (the building with the clock tower, formerly a train station).

River with Notre Dame Towers
The Seine River with the Notre Dame towers lit up. The domed building is the Institut de France, which is only a few hundred yards from our apartment.

Yes, even the Louvre Pyramid gets dirty...
This little remote-controlled contraption cleans the glass of the Louvre Pyramid.

Arden's Cup
We couldn't resist taking a picture of this silver cup that says "Arden" - from the Monastery of St. Hubert in the Ardennes region, late 15th to early 16th century, now in the Louvre.

From a window in the Louvre #2
Looking into the courtyard of the Louvre. Eiffel Tower (of course) on the right, the Arc du Carrousel (not the Arc de Triomphe) a little to the left, and the inverted pyramid within the round green traffic circle. The other long wing of the Louvre is across the courtyard... and each has four floors of exhibits!

Medallion of Notre Dame
This mediallion of St. Mary is on the ceiling of Notre Dame.

Up the Bell Tower
Looking up the bell tower you can see a few gargoyle rain spouts jutting out. The facade and the bell towers were cleaned for the Jubilee of 2000 - but the rest of the exterior is still blackened with centuries of smoke and pollution.

Still smiling...
On the level between the two towers, we're still smiling... it's been a rainy couple of days and you can just make out the Eiffel Tower in the mist just to the right of Dan (it's very, very faint).

Gargoyles and Spire
The roof of Notre Dame with gargoyles and spire. Maddie & Arden, can you find the elephant gargoyle??

In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines...
lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.... the smallest one was Madeline.

Dan with spire
Dan with the spire of Notre Dame and the river below.

For Sally
Sally (Cathleen's mom) wouldn't go by a quilt shop without stopping in... if this photo won't get her to go to Paris, nothing will... :)

Greek Restaurant Cat
We watched this cute kitty in a Greek restaurant while we had our lunch across the street. She just might be the reincarnation of Emily... Paris is a city of dogs (as evidenced by all the poop on the sidewalks), so it's rare to see a cat.

Door and Hollyhocks
Inside the courtyard to the Middle Ages museum was this beautiful door and hollyhocks.

Medieval Sundial
Sundial of sorts on the wall of the Middle Ages museum.

Comments

[Sue Peters]

Great Pictures
Love all your pictures, but was wondering if Dan has a shadow or a little dirt on his chin??? What's that all about?! Have a safe journey to the Alps, hope you can send a few updates while you're there! Sue