Paris - THE LOUVRE

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9th January



On a grey frosty day here I have enjoyed a winter sunshine walk in Paris. Virtually of course.



Florent was our guide today - We started on the Pont des Arts - a pedestrian bridge which crosses the River Seine, it links the Institute of France and the central square Louvre Palace.

Couples have flocked to the bridge for several years to attach a lock with a message to represent their mutual love, often throwing the key into the river for good measure.

In 2014 a large section of the Pont des Arts' steel veranda collapsed into the Seine through the weight of the locks.

In 2015 workers armed with bolt cutters closed off the bridge & removed all of the locks - 60 tons !



As we walked beside the Seine with the sun shining Florent was very informative about the history of the Louvre Palace. How it begun as a fortress in the 12th century to protect the city from English soldiers who were in Normandy.

Remnants of this castle are still visible in the crypt.



Passing through the archway we entered the main square to see the Louvre Pyramid, usually very crowded but today just a handful of Parisians enjoying the winter sunshine.



Commissioned by the President of France in 1984, it was designed by a Chinese-American architect.

The structure is constructed entirely with glass segments and metal poles, a height of 21.6 metres

The pyramid and the underground lobby beneath it were created because of a series of problems with the Louvre's original main entrance, which could no longer handle the enormous number of visitors on an everyday basis.



We continued our walk passing the Arc de triomphe du Carrousel - built to celebrate the victories of Napoleon.This part of the garden used to be enclosed by the two wings of the Louvre and by the Tuileries Palace. The Tuileries Gardens take their name from the tile factories which previously stood on the site in the 1500’s.



It was amusing to hear how popular the public chairs were, some recliners, when in the summer months people run and rush to find an empty one.

At the end of the tour Florent was going to take the opportunity to sit and enjoy the view.

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