Hilary and I spent this morning and afternoon exploring the Louvre. The combination of art and architecture is superb. I especially like the high-ceilinged galleries of the Denon Wing and the marble sculptures. Thankfully, the place was a lot less crowded than I have been told it gets at the height of summer.
The general Paris experience is surprisingly familiar. I suppose I expected it to be much more different from London than it actually is – at least on a superficial level. One pleasant surprise is that I have been able to operate fairly well in French, though I am sure any kind of in-depth conversation would be far beyond me at the moment. Hopefully, next year will bring opportunities to become conversant again.
Tonight, we are apparently visiting an area famous for having the world’s finest falafel. It’s not a foodstuff I have ever really enjoyed, so I suppose this will be the ultimate test of whether that is the product of exposure to inferior falafel or an abiding personal dislike of the stuff.
Tomorrow, we may be going to Versailles.
As with the British Museum, a guided tour of the Louvre is well worth it.
One cool thing in the Louvre was this highly reflective piece of steel in one of the Egyptian areas. It produced an interesting fusion between the ancient and the modern – much like the new pyramid in the centre of the old buildings.