My Very Short Visit to the Louvre
Just like about photography, I have nothing to say about the Louvre that hasn’t been said by better and wiser people. Except that its website is not good.
The night before we were to visit, my wife and I spent two hours on the Louvre’s website trying to book tickets. Neither of us succeeded. We were told the emails we used to register for accounts were already associated with existing accounts, but when we tried to log in with the said emails, we were prompted that no such accounts existed. Between the two of us, my wife and I tried multiple emails, on different equipments. But we could not get out of that dead loop. I was so frustrated that I left a bad review on Google. A week after we got back from Paris, I got a Louvre verification code to finalise my account setup. Which is…, cool!
We decided to go to the museum sans billets. We stood in line for about two hours to get in the museum. The second we got in, all my frustration evaporated. The Louvre is just too damn gorgeous. Unfortunately, less than half an hour in, George got overwhelmed. So that’s that. Our first visit to the Louvre wrapped. I took a few photos in and out of the museum. Here are a few. Since I spent well over two hours outside, I’ve got a lot more photos of the (in?)famous pyramid than the interior.
Inside Mr. Pei’s pyramid, it’s a marvellous space. It’d be cool to see this place emptier. Oh I can dream, can’t I?
What a job to work in the Louvre, to do anything really!
Stumbled up some famous painting of a smiling lady by some Italian painter I was told. I didn’t get to see the painting up close, but the crowd, to me, is everything. I wonder if any other piece of artwork even comes close to being so phenomenal.
Right after this, George’s overstimulation reached a breaking point. We had to leave. It’s shame. I’d go back even without all the artworks. Simply being in that space is an inspiration to a dummy like myself. Another reason to go back to Paris.
That’s it for today. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Yes, the website is awful. We managed to get tickets though still had to stand in a long line for over half an hour to get in!
It is so big we didn't even attempt to see it all. The part where they've excavated old moats and etc is really cool, and hardly anybody there because it's tucked out of the way (and doesn't lend itself to Insta-pics). We didn't even bother seeing the painting of the lady.... the crowds are too much. We also spent a lot of time in the covered courtyards, as those are really gorgeous and not so terribly crowded either.
We probably won't go back to the Louvre for many years, as there are so many other smaller, less crowded museums to see in Paris.
Bitter humour might be the best kind 😉 I'm sorry you didn't get to see more but take comfort in this, I've been twice and only saw a fraction. The mind is overwhelmed by the diversity of history and beauty. We can only absorb so much. 🙏