Day 7: Paris and the Louvre Museum

 


Yet another gorgeous day in fair Paris. The weather has been comfortable up to now with highs in the low 80s and a mild breeze under brilliant blue skies. That's all going to change this weekend as some kind of inversion layer is moving across Europe. Highs are expected to rise to over 100 degrees in some parts of France. Heat warnings are being issued for the weekend. Having lived in Florida for the past five years, that seems mild. But...many places here have no air conditioning or very weak systems (you know, energy efficiency and all). Almost all cafes and restaurants are open-air with seating on the sidewalk in front of the cafe.  

In the morning, we wasted a few hours traveling to Gare du Nord to try and get Eurostar to put us on a train on the day we were originally booked. No luck and the call center was unhelpful. They sent me back to Eurail, which does not have any contact except email...no response. At this point, we'll cut a day from France and may have to skip Disneyland Paris or make a half-day visit on Friday the 24th after lunch with our friends, who happen to be visiting Paris for a few days that overlap with ours. C'est la vie!

From there we made our way to the Louvre for our 2:00 PM entry time. We arrived at about 1:15 PM and were ushered right through the crowd and inside immediately, so we grabbed lunch at the cafe inside the museum. The Prix Fixe menu seemed like a good deal for 19 Euros, which included the main dish, dessert, and a beverage. Then it was off to see the treasures of the Louvre. Let's just say there was no way to see everything. We hit our must-see items and left around 5:00 PM for a boat trip on the Seine. These are some of the highlights for me.

The Crucifixion


Pontius Pilate Handing Jesus Over to be Crucified


Babies Playing in the Park


Angels Attending St. Francis After Receiving the Stigmata


The Mona Lisa (we got to go up front...no cake thrown!)


So much for another busy day in Paris! Tomorrow, we're off to Versailles!


Au Revoir,

Rob


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