Two girlfriends and I decided we would traipse in Paris for a day; visiting the Louvre, Notre Dame, and Eiffel tower. Though we ran out of time to see the Crypt and the Saint's Chapel which houses Jesus crown of thorns among its holy relics, what we did manage to see has forever impacted my memory. Paris truly is a breathtakingly rich experience. I wish I could go back and do it all again and more.
Our first stop was the Louvre Museum, or Le Musée du Louvre, which houses 35,000 works within its 652,300 square feet. The thing I learned most about visiting the world's largest museum, is that you never want to leave and there is never enough time. We could have spent the entire day there and still not seen everything.
Also, I was shocked to discover that residents of Europe who are under 26 years old are free; so I didn't have to pay anything.
The Louvre was originally a fortress in 1190, was reconstructed in the 16th century as a royal palace, and became a museum in 1793 when Louis XIV moved palace residents to Versailles. Under Napolean, the museum gained many new artifacts from conquered lands.
It is divided into 8 sections: Near Eastern Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Etruscan, Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculptures, Decorative Arts, Paintings, Prints, and Drawings. We were enthralled with the paintings and sculptures we saw from the Italian section, but after two hours, we still had not seen artwork from any other department.
At the time, I only knew the sculpture was missing it's head, but we were able to see the "Winged Victory" or "Nike of Samothrace." I have since learned that this winged goddess stood on the prow of a ship overlooking the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace Island. Additionally, "The sanctuary at Samothrace was consecrated to the Cabeiri, gods of fertility whose help was invoked to protect seafarers and to grant victory in war. The offering of a statue of Nike perched on a ship was a religious act in honor of these gods. It has also been suggested that this monument was dedicated by the Rhodians in commemoration of a specific naval victory." (Source)
The romantic in me completely fell in love with the "Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss" sculpture by Antonio Canova. According to legend, ". . . Psyche’s curiosity got the better of her; and no sooner had she had breathed in the terrible fumes than she fell into a deep, deathlike sleep. Seeing her lying motionless, Cupid rushed to her and touched her gently with the tip of his arrow, to make sure she was not dead. This is the moment caught by the sculptor: Cupid lifts his beloved Psyche in a tender embrace, his face close to hers. Psyche lets herself sink slowly backwards, languorously taking her lover’s head between her hands." (Source)
We saw many other beautiful sculptures as well, including one of a man taking on the hydra.
We saw myriads of paintings on our way to see the iconic Mona Lisa, and as a breastfeeding momma, I was thrilled to see so many capturing the beautiful bond and act of a mother feeding her child.
There were also many biblical scenes, including David defeating Goliath and a colossal floor to ceiling depiction of the last supper opposite the Mona Lisa.
And at last, we finally found the Mona Lisa. Commissioned by her husband
Francesco Del Giocondo, Leonardo Da Vinci painted it between 1504-1519. It was stolen in 1911 and recovered in 1913, and since then this 21 by 30 inch masterpiece has been protected by guards and bullet proof glass.
As we exited the Louvre, we caught our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.
Next, we visited the infamous Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral de Paris, Our Lady of Paris. It is located on the island Île de la Cité along the Seine River. The foundation stone was laid by Alexander III in 1163, and its construction spanned roughly 200 years. The cathedral even witnessed Napolean crowning himself Emperor in 1804.
The two bell towers stand 223 feet high with 387 steps. Halfway up there is a gift shop/book store, and a plaque leading to Esmeralda's Cell from the Hunchback of Notre Dame written by Victor Hugo in 1831. With it's many gargoyles and stained glass windows, it is a sight to behold.
Close by the cathedral is a small but worthwhile bookstore and coffee shop, Shakespeare and Company. We stopped and took our time perusing the shelves. I bought my own copy of one of my favorite French stories, Les Miserables. The top floor is a library filled with ancient volumes, a cat, and a piano. I loved every minute we spent here, and my mocha coffee was pretty good too.
Our final stop was the "French capital's most beloved landmark: the Eiffel Tower." Made of 7,300 tons of iron, 2.5 million thermally assembled rivets, and 60 tons of paint (repainted 18 times), what was once considered to be the "'Ugliest building in Paris'" is now one of the most coveted attractions. It has even been nicknamed the "La Dame de Fer, the Iron Lady."
It was built between 1887-89 for the World's Fair (Paris Exposition) and was the main exhibition. (Source)
The Eiffel tower stands 1,063 feet tall and weighs 10,000 tons. It has 108 stories with 1,710 steps; however, only the first platform is accessible.
On our way to see the tower, we got separated from our friend and navigator on the metro. She wound up taking several trains to find us as we walked, completely panicked and hoping we were headed in the right direction. We finally decided to meet at the carousal next to the tower. In one of the most magical moments, the entire tower lit up with twinkling lights (there are 5 billion lights), and our friend flew out of nowhere and into our arms- we were reunited at last!
From riding my first European train, tasting and loving my first escargot, losing my phone, and accidentally separating from my friend, Paris was a remarkable experience. There is simply not enough time to see all of its hidden treasures.
Until next time, Friends. Au Revoir.