August 27th : Paris France (continued)
View from the RER Train from Versailles
Bidding farewell to Versailles, we boarded a return RER train to Paris. Our next destination we had actually already visited, but not investigated fully – the Louvre or Palais du Louvre, since it is actually a former palace.
We switched trains (to the Metro) and made our way to the Louvre metro stop (Palais Royal – Musee du Louvre) where we bought tickets and a guide book before entering the massive complex from underground.
The Louvre is connected to the Metro via a large underground mall containing several shops including a Virgin Megastore and a number of outlets selling replicas of many of the famous art pieces in the Louvre.
The Louvre is really quite massive. There’s no better way to describe it, it’s a bit like imagining the Palace of Versailles as an art museum – many floors, long corridors and grand majestic staircases made of marble.
It really is a palace and it makes for an incredible venue for art.
We entered below the ground level, the main foyer, where all three wings of the museum are accessible. In fact, if you were to enter via the large glass pyramid, you would have to make your way down to the sub level for tickets and access anyway.
There are three main galleries which are actually wings of the palace: Richelieu, Denon and Sully, click here for an interactive map of the Louvre’s floor plan.
Each area had a major attraction as well as a range of sections spread across multiple floors. We intended to view the most popular works of art as well as to generally browse the collections as best we could manage.
Toni insisted that we set a specific agenda (prior to browsing) to ensure we visited the majority of the art we wished to see.
In no particular order we visited the Mona Lisa (with the anticipated throng of onlookers jostling for prime position to take photos), the Venus de Milo (Aphrodite) and a score of other well known works including a large and very fine array of Roman sculptures.
We did not encounter too many tourists as the museum is so large and can easily accommodate a large number of people comfortably.
It was also hard to remember that the museum was in fact a palace and the artwork forming the building itself was equally as impressive as some of the masterpieces hanging from the walls. Some of the paintings and frescoes were simply massive, towering over the people admiring their sophistication and detail.
We spent a few hours walking the halls of the museum and it is really hard to pick out any one specific highlight amongst so many impressive works of art. The foundations of a medieval castle which are preserved underneath the museum are pretty impressive though.
I suppose the biggest highlight for me, personally, was viewing the Code of Hammurabi which is one of the earliest records of written law in human history, created in circa 1790 BC in the ancient civilization of Babylon.
At any rate, we eventually decided to continue our tour of Paris and so left the museum and traversed the Metro system until we reached the Abbesses Metro stop in Montmartre.
Avoiding the all-too-convenient elevator, we unwisely opted for the spiral steps which took us up to the street level (quite a climb) although nothing compared to the next ascent, to Sacre Coeur with its commanding views of Paris (the second highest point in Paris, after the Eiffel Tower).
Climbing stairs after stairs, we made our way to Place du Tertre which is a lovely square containing coffee shops, tourists and a large array of artists doing portraits for the aforementioned tourists.
We took in the sights of the church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre and the grand stature of the basilica of Sacre Coeur (pausing to enjoy the beautiful view from the hill top) before returning to the square for lunch (the most delicious crepes I’ve ever eaten) and a large mug of Apple Cider.
The area was much unlike any of the other regions of Paris we had encountered.
True, it was obviously geared towards the inevitable mass of tourists but still seemed to somehow retain an air of bohemian lifestyles and influence.
There were far less (if no) chain super stores, instead many small (boutique) cafes and locally run businesses which added a certain charm and intimacy (despite the crowds).
After lunch we decided to go wine shopping, so we jumped back onto the Metro and exited at the Madeleine stop, in the Opera district.
We visited two large cellars, one was the HQ of a chain of stores (Nicolas) based on Place de la Madeleine (opposite the famous church which gives the name of the metro stop & area) and a second, Lavinia on Boulevard Madeleine which was further east.
Both had excellent cellars (“caves”) although the former had sold out of the label I was specifically after. In the end, I bought a bottle of the 2006 Chateau Lafite Rothschild (Bordeaux, 1er, Pauillac) which was expertly prepared and packaged. Having made the purchase we briefly inspected the lovely Roman style church of Madeleine (Mary Magdalene) before returning to the Metro to visit one last attraction.
We switched to the RER and exited at the Javel station. Fighting a setting sun, we hauled ourselves north east following the curve of the river Seine towards our last destination, just next to the Pont de Grenelle (bridge) sitting in the middle of the river on the tiny sliver of an island called Ile aux Cygens.
No, we didn’t magically teleport to the city that never sleeps (New York), some might know that in Paris there is a replica (not to scale) of the famous Statue of Liberty and it is far easier to get to.
We took some impressive photos and marvelled that this time we had an unparalleled view (we visited her twin sister in 2004 in New York).
The sun started to set on our time in Paris, and with it so we started the journey back to Montreuil, exiting the bridge and walking north to the Metro stop of La Muette. The neighbourhood was impressive and, should we ever return, I think I’d like to stay in this area.
At any rate, we returned to the SuiteHotel and started our final packing as our final day in Europe fast approached. Our journey was to continue with a trip on the EuroStar from Paris’ Gare du Nord station to King’s Cross station in London. Stay tuned for more..