Seeing the Louvre should really take several weeks. The artistic treasures in there just defy description. Paintings by Leonardo are hung side by side with those of Titian and Tintoretto in apparently careless arangement. Endless halls and galleries filled with exquisite Italian paintings or classical Greek statues or Egyptian artifacts or medieval ceramics. You name it and you can find the very best of it here.
The Louvre is probably the greatest tourist attraction in a city full of tourist attractions, so the crowds of tourists there can be quite enormous. And where there are tourists in large numbers there can be easy pickings for pickpockets and other con tricksters. I was approached by a woman holding a gold ring and ask if I had dropped it. This is a common scam as if you so much as take that ring into your hand for a closer look you have bought it. She will insist you pay for it and create an embarrassing scene until you do so. Best avoid the hassle by not accepting anything from strangers and keep your hand on your wallet in those areas.
Leaving the Louvre (eventually) we made our way west across a sprawling expanse of classically designed french gardening known as the Tuileries. This a very popular place for Parisians to sit and relax so we joined them and had lunch at an outside restaurant in the park under the shady elm trees.
Leaving the Tuileries you can see the Arc de Triomphe dominating the horizon and a busy wide avenue leading to it. This is the Champs Elysee and home to most of the most exclusive brand names you can think of. A stroll along it will take you past Cartier, Swarovski, Louis Vuiton, Zara, Guerlain, Tissot and god knows how many others commonly found in Harpers or Vogue. Er, we didn't do any shopping there this trip. Maybe next time.
As mentioned, the Champs Elysee leads right up to the Arc de Triomphe. In fact there are five or six major avenues that all radiate out from the Arc and the traffic is in a continual swirling whirlpool around the wide avenue that surrounds it. Don't even think about approaching it on the surface. There are no lights and no lanes. It's every man for himself in there. Follow the signs to the pedestrian tunnel if you want to visit the Arc and even climb it. They say the view from the top down all the radiating avenues is good but just too "touristy" for my (Tony) tastes. Check out the pictures, any and all comments welcomed.
Click here for pictures of the interior of the Louvre
Click here for pictures of Tuileries and Champs Elysee
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