France June 2016 - The Louvre
We left Versailles in the morning and drove back to DeGaulle airport to return the rental car and meet our son Joe who flew in from London.  It was pretty amazing it all worked out and we met Joe in the massive airport.  Here, a happy Lynnette is with our son Joe.  We hadn't seen him in awhile -- he's been gallavanting around the world on the Remote Year program.  He works remotely in a different country each month.  This month it was Great Britain and London.
   
We took the metro into Paris, checked into our AirBnB, and then went to see the famous Louvre Museum.
 
Here Lynnette and Joe are standing in front of the glass pyramid surrounded by the Louvre Palace.  The glass pyramid is the entrance to the Louvre.
   
Descending into the Pyramid which is the entrance to the Louvre.
   
 
   
The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as the Louvre castle in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II.    When they were building the Pyramid they discovered remnants of the fortress!  Here it is.
   
Joe and I standing in front of the fortress wall.
   
Joe in front of one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture, the Venus de Milo.  The statue is now thought to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch.  It was created sometime between 130 and 100 BC.  The statue is believed to depict Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. However, some scholars claim it is the sea-goddess Amphitrite, venerated on Milos.  It was added to the Louvre's collection during the reign of Louis XVIII.
   
The statue is named after Aphrodite's Roman name, Venus, and the Greek island of Milos, where it was discovered.  It is generally asserted that the Venus de Milo was discovered on 8 April 1820 by a peasant named Yorgos Kentrotas, inside a buried niche within the ancient city ruins of Milos.
 
In the autumn of 1939, the statue was packed for removal from the Louvre in anticipation of the outbreak of war. Scenery trucks from the Comédie-Française transported the Louvre's masterpieces to safer locations in the countryside.  During World War II, the statue was sheltered safely in the Château de Valençay, along with the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Michelangelo's Slaves.
   
At the beginning of World War II the museum removed most of the art and hid valuable pieces.
   
 
   
Check out that ceiling!
   
 
   
 
   
The magnificent Winged Victory of Samothrace.  In 1863 an expedition uncovered the sculpture Winged Victory of Samothrace in the Aegean Sea. This piece, though heavily damaged, has been prominently displayed since 1884.  It is believed to have been sculpted in 190 BC.
 
It must have been something to see in its complete, original form.
   
 
   
A great hall with amazing objects in the center.
   
 
   

The great French landscape architect André Le Nôtre, the principal gardener of Louis XIV.  His work represents the height of the French formal garden style, or jardin à la française.  He designed the park of the Palace of Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Chantilly, Fontainebleau, Saint-Cloud and Saint-Germain. His contribution to planning was also significant: at the Tuileries he extended the westward vista, which later became the avenue of the Champs-Élysées and comprise the Axe historique.
   
 
   
Of course, the most popular attraction at the Louvre is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
   
Personally, I've seen a lot of paintings which I think are better than the Mona Lisa.  But, everyone has heard of the Mona Lisa, and for whatever reason, it is and probably always will be the most famous painting in the world.
   
The Mona Lisa (Leonardo da Vinci), oil on panel, 1503–1519, probably completed while the artist was at the court of Francis I.
   
The Louvre is large.  After a lot of walking, we stopped in the museum cafe for lunch and a rest.  It was pleasant sitting outside overlooking the center of the Louvre Palace.
   
Looking towards the west at the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousal and the beginning of the Tuileries Garden.
   
A good look at the Pyramid and part of the Palace.
   
Continuing our visit, we came across this artifact from French Polynesia.
   
One of the roofed-over palace courtyards filled with magnificent art.
   
I really enjoyed the Grand Apartments.  Beautiful rooms.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
In this chair sat the great man:  Napoleon.
   
Artifacts from ancient Assyria.
   
More Assyrian art -- probably 8th century BC.
   
The Assyrians were big into Lions.
   
Checking out the Egyptian Antiquities area.  Ah, you've seen one Egyptian coffin, you've seen them all.
   
Napoleon conquered Egypt and I bet he brought back these sculptures.
   
The Louvre is a must-see when you are in Paris.  It's huge, though.  It would probably take two or three full days to do it justice.
 
Leaving the Louvre, we headed west to the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousal.
   
The Arc was built between 1806 and 1808 to commemorate Napoleon's military victories of the previous year, including Austerlitz.
   
Continuing west, we walked through the Tuileries Garden.   Lots of people are taking it easy around the "Bassin Octogonal".  (eight-sided basin)
   
Joe and I with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
   
 
   
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