Today was the day we were finally going to see the smiling Mona. After filling up with McDonald's coffee and breakfast meal, we took the familiar 'pink' metro line down to Musee du Louvre. Flipping through the guidebook, we finally knew how it was supposed to be pronounced - 'loov-ruh', not 'loof' . And Champs-Elysees was 'shahn zay-lee-zay'.
The Louvre
This was one sight that one probably can't cover in a day. But we were no great scholars of art, so other than the famous masterpieces at the Denon Wing, we didn't have much of a clue where to go. So after getting our tickets from the machine, we headed towards the Denon.
Sounds Greek to me ... the French descriptions made recognising the statues much harder
Winged Victory of Samothrace ... still magnificent inspite of missing limbs
The Wedding at Cana ... the other crowd puller in the room
The Mona Lisa ... needed a zoom lens to see the famous smile
Crown Room
Mummy ... they seem to be in every famous museum, probably gotten through threat or trade
In front of Pei's controversial pyramid
Jardin de Tuileries
After walking through the maze-like rooms of the Louvre for almost four hours, we made our way out to the courtyard and then towards the gardens. It was a good sunny day to be out, so we had a quick bite on the garden lawns before making our way to Champs Elysees.
Avenue des Champs Elysees
A 2km strip lined with tall leafy trees that stood like sentries in front of luxury brand stores and other prime real estate occupants.
The highlight for Vicky was of course the store with the 'LV' initials displayed prominently on the building front. I guesses that worked, as it draws quite a crowd in. And more than half of these were Asians. So it was no surprise that the store had a couple of Chinese staff who could converse in Chinese. I guess they were no more afraid of the Chinese pirate. After fulfilling Vicky's fantasy, we happily trudged out and headed towards our final destination.
Arc de Triomphe
It must be quite a sight, to ride a horse triumphantly through this massive arch with cheering Parisians flanking the promenade.
Well, at least we settled for a walk round this famous monument, admiring it from all angles. Did not fancy a climb up to the top, so we decided to call it day.
After walking through the maze-like rooms of the Louvre for almost four hours, we made our way out to the courtyard and then towards the gardens. It was a good sunny day to be out, so we had a quick bite on the garden lawns before making our way to Champs Elysees.
Avenue des Champs Elysees
A 2km strip lined with tall leafy trees that stood like sentries in front of luxury brand stores and other prime real estate occupants.
The highlight for Vicky was of course the store with the 'LV' initials displayed prominently on the building front. I guesses that worked, as it draws quite a crowd in. And more than half of these were Asians. So it was no surprise that the store had a couple of Chinese staff who could converse in Chinese. I guess they were no more afraid of the Chinese pirate. After fulfilling Vicky's fantasy, we happily trudged out and headed towards our final destination.
Arc de Triomphe
It must be quite a sight, to ride a horse triumphantly through this massive arch with cheering Parisians flanking the promenade.
Well, at least we settled for a walk round this famous monument, admiring it from all angles. Did not fancy a climb up to the top, so we decided to call it day.
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