Friday before last, Josh and I took advantage of extended hours and discounted/free tickets for our first trip to the Louvre. This photo taken while we were waiting in line for our tickets. We had been in this area before, but I must say it is so incredible to stand underneath that glass pyramid after seeing it in photos for so long!
We took a look at our museum map and couldn't resist trying to tackle the E-ticket pieces during this first visit, but it was easy to get distracted. This statue of Isis really caught my eye with it's contrasting stone.
The Old Fisherman/ Seneca Dying was also truly incredible. I'm not sure what the eyes are made of, but amazing artistry was at work to create that sort of emotion from stone!
Here we arrive at the room at the top of our list! See that frame peeking out over everyone's heads? There she is! Leonardo de Vinci's Mona Lisa.
Such an icon! Josh and I both knew to expect the small size of the painting, so there was little surprise there, but it was really something to see it in person. What I liked about my closer look was really getting to see the sfumato painting technique and how each shade blended into the next.
You can barely see Josh in this shot - thought I'd take a self portrait with this bust while he mapped out our next move!
This is not an uncommon sight in and around the Louvre. The Tuilerie Gardens are full of chalky pebbled walkways that inevitably give ones shoes a nice dusting!
We walked through a long arched hallway of statues, to find The Winged Victory of Samonthrace at the top of a staircase.
Cy Twombly's ceiling in the Salle des Bronzes. This picture doesn't quite capture the glow that his bright ceiling added to the room of artifacts.
Taken from the room next to Twombly's. You can see several monuments in the hazy distance, as well as a good example of the atmospheric perspective in Paris. It's easy to begin to see things through Impressionist eyes. Even during the day time, from not too great a distance, the Eiffel tower appears to blend into the sky as if it is a piece of it rather than something piercing it.
Venus de Milo, the contrapposto queen!
Sarcophagus of a Married Couple. I don't know if this is the one I remembered from our art history books, but it was exciting to spot this terracotta pair.
We plan on returning, but it was definitely a satisfying first visit! Here's a view of the central area all lit up. After we left we walked around the area for a while before heading back.
An evening tour boat lights up the banks of the Seine. Look at all of the people lounging on the right side.
This was in my collection of proud men on horses from the red car tour post, neat to get a little closer!
Pont-Neuf Metro Station - I love the rainbow of coins spreading across the ceiling!
