The first museum tour has officially ended. We went to the Louvre on Friday. We planned the entire day and were prepared to be overwhelmed. It was extremely crowded in some areas, but not so in others. It was actually quite manageable, as long as you set realistic expectations. We did not come close to seeing all of it. We spent the majority of our time in the Denon and Sully wings. Those wings contained the "biggies" as well as other pieces that we were interested in seeing. We saw Venus de Milo and learned about her perfection, in terms of ancient Greecian statues. There was also a very cool winged goddess of victory, missing her head and arms. I can't remember the title, but it was one of those sculptures that evoked emotion from every angle.

We saw Mona Lisa, and were prepared for her size so it wasn't shocking. What was humorous was that she is placed on a faux wall, in the middle of a large room, behind glass, behind a rope that stretches 10 feet in front of her. You can get a good look at her, but not a good photo (plus there are a zillion to be purchased that are better than anything your camera is going to get), yet it was like a Hollywood opening. Cameras clicking all over the place, nice expensive ones to cell phones. I can't imagine that any of them really got a good picture. Needless to say, we didn't bother, we just soaked up the atmosphere, and her mysterious smile:)

One of my personal favorites was in the Italian Peintures' wing. It was an enormous painting of Napoleon's coronation as emperor. Paintings, at that time, were used to record events. The coronation took place in Notre Dame with the Pope presiding over it. You wouldn't know it was Notre Dame though, because Napoleon had a facade erected that made it look like it was happening in Rome. In the painting he is crowning himself, much to the chagrain of the Pope. Normally the Pope does the official crowning, but Napoleon took it upon himself to do it, as supreme leader.

We also went to the Egyptian exhibit. It was quite extensive and made me want to begin planning a trip to Egypt to see the pyramids. Griffin studied a little about ancient Egypt this year so it was of particular interest to her. The painting and detail on the funeral masks (I think that's what they were called) were gorgeous. The blues and blacks were so rich.

We took a break in the middle of they day and had middle eastern food for lunch. The entry to the Louvre is in a mall so getting out and getting something to eat was easy. We also did a little window shopping. After our afternoon tour, we walked out into the courtyard and through the Arc du Carousel. You can stand under the Arc and look passed the Place de Concord to see the Arc de Triomphe. It's pretty cool.

Food highlights for the past few days - ANGELINA'S- I write that in caps because it deserves it. Chika, a friend from home, had recommended that we go there for a cup of hot chocolate. It was amazing. It was, what I imagine drinking from Wonka's chocolate river would taste like. It was an unseasonably chilly day and rainy when we stopped in. It was like drinking liquid love. Thick, rich chocolately. We immediately felt calmer and more relaxed. I was happy for the entire rest of the day. A must have in Paris. We are planning one more cup before we leave. It is a bit pricey, but who cares, totally worth it.

Yesterday we took a left bank walking tour. The left bank is the original artist's quarter. We wound our way through streets stopping at the run, down shabby hotel where Oscar Wilde died (it's been restored since). He was sick and miserable in the end and in typical Wilde fashion left us shortly after saying "Either this wallpaper goes, or I do". Georges Sand's home where she went after leaving her husband and children to pursue writing. The Deux Magots, a cafe where many literary greats of their time, wrote, drank and discussed. We ended up stopping there for a glass of wine and tarte tatin (carmelized, upside down apple pie). The people watching was good, as well as the parking jobs. Smart cars are a must if you want to drive in Paris, which we don't ever want to do!

We went to the Archeological Crypts under Notre Dame. To be honest, they ranked up there with the Cluny Museum for us. They were confusing, missing labels on exhibits and broken lights. They also smelled like our cat Mojave had marked them as her territory - yuk! Griffin and I sped through them in record time, about 15 minutes, Todd took a bit longer, but we were all glad when we surfaced.

We are off to Brussels this morning to visit friends, the McDevitts. Todd went to high school and college with Kristine. They have 3 children and it should be a nice time. We are planning on touring Brussels, so I'll be back with information on our wanderings.