Louvrers and France

Our last day in Paris, and we hadn't been to the Louvre yet. We had been to the Louvre on our last trip, but there is so much to see and absorb that we had to return. While at the museum, Josh and I had an ongoing debate about whether a particular room or the art it contained was more valuable, since the Louvre itself is a masterpiece. Although we wandered many familiar exhibits, we also had a chance to explore some of the new, temporary exhibits. One was in the Pavillon de l'Horloge. About 100 years ago, a Swedish man and his wife were assigned to visit Paris and report back on the latest artistic trends and techniques, so that Swedish artists didn't fall behind. He accomplished this task and in the process amassed an enormous personal art collection, one that left him in significant debt at the end of his life. To repay these debts, he had to sell his collection to the Swedish government, which kept the collection intact. The collection includes hundreds of paintings from Parisian artists; thousands of plans and drawings for buildings, sculptures, and paintings; and hundreds of designs for costumes and sets for the theater. Josh's favorite painting was of a dachshund who, despite having the body of a canine bodybuilder, still had sweet, pleading puppy eyes.

I think the most incredible thing about the Louvre is not that it is in such a beautiful building or that it houses some of the most famous pieces of art in the world, but that it displays only about 2% of the works in its collection. It has undergone such incredible transformations, from a fortress to a palace to the second-most visited museum in the world (I think it was #1 last time I visited, but a museum in China finally bumped it out of the lead). I'm just grateful that it's open to the public now, instead of being closely guarded by kings.

Some other fun facts about the Louvre:

• It is the largest museum in the world, with over 35,000 pieces on display.
• The Louvre was originally a fortress (1100s), then a palace for French kings (1500s), then got the cold shoulder when the royalty moved to Versailles but was later embraced as a royal art gallery.
• Napoleon once renamed the Louvre after himself (Napoleon Museum). He also added 5,000 pieces to the collection, but those pieces had to be returned to their original owners when Napoleon was overthrown. Napoleon was also the first person to hang the Mona Lisa, putting it in his bedroom.
• Over 2,000 employees work at the Louvre, directing visitors and otherwise keeping things running.

Looking for a place to have dinner, Josh and I headed out on foot.We headed the opposite direction from the Louvre and the other places that we had visited, and we discovered that a vibrant neighborhood (and restaurant scene) existed mere blocks from our apartment. It was hard to believe that so much life existed just around the corner, and we hadn't realized it until our final night. We ended up at La France, a little corner restaurant where the tented-in outdoor portion was filled with Parisian young adults drinking and smoking. We sat indoors, glad to be out of the cold, enjoying our beef bourguignon and a delicious salad with burrata. There was a bit of miming with the waiter, as nobody spoke much English beside "okay?" and "yes", but we were always able to figure out what the other wanted. That's how our entire trip has been, actually. A bit of good humor and an honest effort, and things end up working out.

Spotted 1: Orange hair. This seems to be the new craze for women who are naturally graying, as we have seen it several times on the street as well as on a fashionable older woman at Ledoyen.

Spotted 2: Dogs off leash. This trend amazes us, as Finn is far too curious to constantly stick by our sides. These dogs trot alongside their owners, oblivious to all of the dog-friendly smells and distractions that a city provides (this one - the exception - stopped to sniff; he belongs to the woman in the bright red pants).

Spotted 3: Tiny gas stations in the city.  Whether tucked into the corner of a building or along the sidewalk, these microstations get the job done, but they charge an arm and a leg for their services.