Trapped in the Louvre

I came. I saw. I slept. But that was yesterday.

After a good night's sleep, I braved the Metro and arrived near the Tuileries and L'Orangerie, my decided upon destination. But first a word about the underground trip. I was on board and reminding myself Concorde,Concorde, the stop where I had to get off, when - what to my wondering ears - I heard accordion music, "La Vie en Rose" to be exact. I turned my head to see, and standing by the closed door was a real accordion player pulling away on his instrument. It was not a dream! The locals on board were not as impressed. My heart lightened as I knew he was playing just for me.

The fountain, sculptures, and gardens were wonderful, and I walked and snapped pics, and blatantly American, mingled with the masses. Then I waited in line about 20 or 30 minutes to enter the l'Orangerie museum for impressionist art. The weather was pretty, the branches of the tyal trees gently swayed, and I watched the French family in line behind me at play. The father pulled out a long orange stretchy cord that he put behind his and the older daughter's ankles, and the younger girl jumped inside and over it, and they were all amused with it the entire time. And so was I.

Inside the museum, I was awed by impressionist masterpieces that I had seen only in books including two rooms of Monet's water lilies, which I think are actually called by another name. Since I was only a day or two out of Provence, I could identify with what was painted there such as some of Cezanne's work. After all, I had just seen it! Any aspiring artist must come to France, I decided, just like any musician should experience New Orleans, at least should have before the hurricane that devastated it.

After I left, I walked along the garden area. I kept walking and walking along the length of the gardens where people meet and play and read, and then...I spotted the Louvre! The glass pyramid that I seen in pictures! I admit I hadn't a clue where I was prior to the sighting. I just decided it was all good. I had been warned about going to the Louvre on this first Sunday, free admission, and of its enormity, but gee...I was right there! So I took the torturous trip inside. Wow! It was too much to take in and totally packed with people. I heard hardly any English speaking people - just French. Eventually I reached a saturation point of being enclosed with the world's best art and had to get out. I was just about to leave, to take one of the escalators out, but was stopped by security. The entire million of us inside could not leave, and I of course did not know what happened except that there was an "incident." Did someone try to steal the Mona Lisa? Finally...I was set free from that ornate, massive, stifling place and followed the "sortie" signs to fresh air.

I exited on the Rue Rivoli side. I learned my whereabouts from a guy trying to peddle his water colors along the street and asked him, "Where am I anyway?" He knew enough English and I imagine had sold plenty of his pretty pictures to us Americans. I wandered and looked. Mostly there were souvenir shops for tourists.

I had bought a bottle of orange juice in the Louvre, 3,5 euros, but was getting tired and hungry. I stopped at a place that had an easel propped in front advertising chocolat pain and espresso - 1,9 euros. The best bargain I had seen. Yum...I was revived after resting for a few minutes on the stool and having a shot of caffeine and was ready to move along.

Soon I realized I had hiked a long way and should head back to Grand Hotel Leveque. Luckily I spotted a Metro location and after another lengthy adventure that included the kindness of strangers, I saw the familiar yellow sign.

Whew...

Only one day in Paris and I must make it mine just a little longer. Thankfully I had enough energy left to get out; not like last night. I enjoyed a nice dinner about a block away at Le Roussillon, same name as the rocky, ochre colored mountains I had visited a day or two before. Then I walked the other way, away from l"Ecole Militaire and toward Les Invalides. Paris has been so alive! So beautiful.

There is s much to see and do. I am happy just to have walked and watched and smelled and breathed here. To me, Paris seems so civilized. And so are the dogs.

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I must include pics of these two "things" that were on my walk from one museum to the other. First I was surprised to see the huge spider sculpture that seemed out of sync with the feel of the place, but it was really pretty cool. I am sure I could have taken a better picture but this is the best I got. And the other? I don't know what it is called, but I suppose resembles the huge Arc de Triomphe, which I didn't see, and is almost in front of the Louvre. You can see the Louvre pyramid through the arch. Near it was an older fella who had some small birds eating from his hands, two or three at a time. This was probably the only time a blue sky was the backdrop for any picture I took the week I was there.