Pyramid scheme

I’m quite taken with the Louvre pyramid, it is really beautiful and not at all out of place amongst the historic stone and marble buildings. I saw a quote from Ming Pei, the architect who designed it, in a museum in Amsterdam, and it came to mind today when I went to line up to go into the Louvre. A dear friend who had supported and cheered him on through the difficult project, had died before it was finished, and in the eulogy he gave he said, “We have created something significantly beautiful, to be seen from the heavens; but I did not expect it would be seen so soon by you”. What he has created is more than beautiful, and he was an architectural genius. Some of the galleries were not open today due to the transport strike and having less available staff, but I covered a lot of ground, thanks mostly to a really helpful blog I found online, with tips to make the most out of your visit. The Louvre has more than 60,000 square metres of floor space, so a plan is recommended! The one I liked (by Luke Slattery from traveller.com.au) outlined a simple route through the maze of corridors to see the big four exhibits (statues of The Winged Nike and Venus de Milo, The Mona Lisa, and Rembrandt’s Bathsheba)in just 15 minutes, plus suggestions on other important pieces to then go and see, and where to find them. I wrote it down and took it with me, and although it took me twice as long to complete my mission, I am quite poor with directions, so I thought that wasn’t too bad 🙂 The rest of the time I followed the suggestions from the blog and saw pretty much everything I wanted to find. The pyramid was the real winner for me though, and worth the entry fee just to see that up close. While I was in the neighbourhood, I wandered up the Champs-Elysees, and bought a ticket to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe on the way (to save waiting in line). Amazing views from the top, and I loved it! Well worth 12 Euros to go up if you don’t mind a few stairs.