STILL DAY 1: THE LOUVRE

Who else loves The Louvre as much as I do? And PLEASE tell me you know what it is. If you don't, google it and read up on it. I won't bore those who already know what it is by telling you all about it here. I'll just tell you what I LOVE about it. I LOVE how big it is. I LOVE that it was originally a palace. And I LOVE the gardens out front that extend far beyond even the size of The Louvre itself.


Just driving down the road and seeing the back sie of it (the picture above), I almost started crying cuz I loved it so much. hahaha. This is a definite MUST for anyone going to Paris. There's no way you can get out of it. It's just too amazing not to experience.


So, when we first got there, we were all very hungry and had to go to the bathroom. We had just come from driving around for awhile (see previous post), so the minute we made our way out of the parking structure and into the building, we were looking for a bathroom. We knew there HAD to be one amongst the "shopping mall" that the Louvre beholds within its underground walls (before you enter the museum part). So, what did we happen upon?



The poshest, more decorated bathroom I have ever seen. First, they had personal attendants for you (not the random bathroom attendants you happen upon in a restaurant or bar, that have all the trinkety crap on the bathroom counter, or the ones who have fancy lotions and what not. ) These ones had gloves on, opened the door for you and pretty much wiped your butt!


The decorations around the room were...I can't think of a word...there's no word to describe it....it was this...all along the wall, there was art made with colored toilet paper rolls (hot pink, bright orange, lime green and even black!) with displays of all the different toilet papers you can buy. I smuggled/snapped the above picture so quickly cuz I was so embarrassed to be taking pictures of a bathroom.


So this the only picture you get of the bathroom. And to top it off, they made the whole bathroom look very posh and very "L.A."-modern. It's amazing what you can do with crap (no pun intended) as long as you arrange it nice.


Be prepared...cuz obviously you have to pay to get in.

Spencer and I were sitting outside the bathroom waiting for everyone else to come out. There was a long line. So, of course, I had to snap these pictures cuz he was being so cute.

Right after the bathroom, we went to the food court to get food. This turned out to be the wrong idea. It seemed as though everyone else had the same idea. The lines were long, we were all hungry, and the worst part... it was about 90 degrees in there. I swear, I would have thought they wanted to regulate the air for all that priceless artwork. Nay. It was so hot and crowded through our whole experience (even in the museum). Sadly, we were very grouchy the whole time.

Moving on. So, I decided I'm not going to post too many pictures of the artwork, sculptures, etc. I'll keep that to myself cuz a) it's definitely not the same as seeing it is in person, and second...it can get very boring after awhile. And I know I've said this before but my favorite pictures are the ones with people in them. I'm pretty sure it is for you too. So, we'll just hit the main, important artifacts and sculptures.

Below is the upside-down pyramid that is inside, and underground...before the main courtyard where you buy your tickets (this is not to be confused with the one on the upstairs, ground level, outside part of the museum).

There are three entrances to the Louvre, depending on which area you want to go to. Brian and I realized that both times we have come here (this time, and then the last time he and I were alone), we focused on the same part...why? Because it housed the three most famous art relics....all of which we wanted the girls to experience (I only took pictures of two).

The Mona Lisa...

I had a better picture of the girls in front of the Mona Lisa, but what you can't see going on are the hundreds..yes I said hundreds...of peole crowding the tiny little space just to get a picture. The good picture Brian had caught was a good one of the girls, but the Mona Lisa turned out dark. Why, you ask? See below.

Cuz some stupid Chinese (sorry) lady elbowed my sleeping baby, Spencer, IN THE HEAD! This huge tour group was pushing and crowding, like it was some rock concert. And even though we had waited in line, they all just pushed up to the front, shoving us out of the way. Needless to say, Spencer was screaming and Brian was about ready to punch them. It was such a madhouse. To the point that the girls were like, "Mom, what's the big deal. It's just a painting." Exactly. But at least you experienced it. (Sorry all you art buffs who are going to reBUFF me. hehe).

Venus de Milo (aka Aphrodite)

Xanthe pretending to be a bust.

And a sculpture.

This was a replica of what the castle first looked like before it was leveled and then rebuilt into what we now know as the huge building called The Louvre. This was part of an underground walkway it took you through to see the original walls of this castle...all of which they unearthed by happenstance. Can you imagine? Just randomly digging and coming upon the whole bottom part of a medieval castle? I was totally enthralled and amazed.

The Outside Courtyard...

Of course we had to get a picture in front of the famous pyramid.

Seriously! Look behind them. How beautiful are these buildings! It's so much huger than you can even imagine and not only is there the main building, there are two other buildings that run along the two sides of the courtyard. Brian and I joked that it would have really stunk to be the lowly squire who had to run from one side of the palace to fetch another member across the other side.

We really loved being outside in this courtyard, not only because it was so beautiful, but it was much cooler and not as claustrophobic as the inside of the museum was. The next few pictures are some fun ones of us playing and posing.

Spencer loved the fountains and kept reaching over to touch the water. He didn't splash, he just put fingers in and then moved them around, like he does with material.

Below are some pictures of Spencer giggling and squealing. He does this every time his sisters jump around in front of him, or run from really far away towards him. What you can't see from these pictures is the audience that has gathered around to watch Spencer. It truly was a site to see. They had a huge crowd going.

And sorry about the white trash onesie he's sporting. He got his blue one all wet from the fountains (see above).

Anticipating them to turn around and run towards him. How awesome is this picture that it has THE LOUVRE in the background?

Louis XIV

Okay, I have so many other statue pictures. Why I chose to post this one, I don't know. It just struck me, and I loved it. It just gives you an idea of the multitude of astonishing sculptures they had throughout the courtyard and gardens.

Can you tell they were getting tired?

Posing in front of arc on our way out of the Louvre courtyard towards the massive gardens.

The Louvre Gardens

Arc de Triomphe ------ Gardens--------------- The Louvre

Okay, I know you're wondering why I posted this random map. But I wanted you to see the Louvre Gardens in comparison to the actual Louvre itself. Do you see on the right hand side by #1? That's the Louvre. Then all that green to the left are the gardens. They are sprawling and massive. Very impressive. There are fountains, sculptures, and tall bush art (hahaha. I can't think of what to call it. But you get what I mean. Where they've clipped into mazes and walkways.)

We decided to enjoy the rest of the first day in Paris sitting out amongst the Louvre gardens, letting the girls roll down the hills and run through the pathways. Spencer and I had fun hanging out with Brian watching them get their energy out.