Lost in the Louvre

Had a somewhat slow start to the day; trying to convince our minds and body to get up and going at the equivalent of midnight Victoria time was not an easy task. Breakfast was delicious: meat, cheese, eggs, breads, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc. Our first stop for the day was St. Chappelle (1249) to see the magnificent stained glass. After a somewhat complicated and lengthy venture to find the elevators and entrance, we entered the upper chapel and were amazed by the size and detail of the numerous windows. The sun was shining through one side of the church illuminating many of the 1100 odd story panels of the windows. Loved it!

Then on to the Louvre. Reading about this as the largest museum in the world does not do it justice. It is truly immense and sprawling. We only planned to visit 3 specific areas to save time and even though we did, we spent over 4 hours becoming overwhelmed by it all in the end. You would probably need a month to truly do it justice and even then, well..... We wandered through the egyptian exhibit which covered all manner of egyptian history. We viewed Napolean's apartments in all their oppulant splendor, and of course viewed the magnificent Mona Lisa. Enroute to all of these areas we passed through the medieval foundation of the Louvre buildings, greek sculptures, original palace rooms and ornate halls filled with art and antiquities. We found some of the original palace rooms truly remarkable with the carving, gilt, sculpture, and painted ceilings, all produced in a way and style that would be never be done today. The girls were in fits of giggles over the numerous displays of nudity in the sculptures and paintings and suddenly became avid photographers!

The weather today was sunny but very cold with the wind. After a quick dinner at a cafe we did some souvenir shopping and discovered Eric Kayser Artisan Boulanger for dessert. Brought back just a "few" samples to our room which included treats such as: creme brule, chocolate hazelnut tart, REAL fruit jellies, REAL marshmallows, Callisions, and mini cookie treats. YUM.

Time to sleep after the sugar crash...  Bon soir from Paris.