12 October 2013 ~ The Louvre
Listening to: Doug Sahm & The West Side Horns with Flaco Jimenez ~ The Thing That I Used To Do (1989-12-08 Tipitina's, New Orleans)
After the Eiffel Tower, we the group was supposed to meet the bus to continue on to the Louvre.
However, the couple I ate lunch with, Margaret and Bob from New Jersey, could not find the bus! Luckily, we didn't leave anything on the bus, like our return train ticket. We took a taxi.
I did not have an entry ticket, and because we were only going to have about an hour in the museum, I chose not to frantically rush around just to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa with a horde of tourists. Maybe another time.
The famous Louvre Pyramid.
Spent a lot of time sitting at the Louis XIV statue. Gian Lorenzo Bernini was the sculptor. The original statue was actually carved from a single block of Carrara marble by Bernini's students and was completed prior to 1673. Louis took an instant dislike to it. He first ordered it to be broken into pieces but relented and had it exiled to the far end of the gardens near the Pool of the Swiss Guards after his likeness was removed.
Arc de Triomphe du Carroussel was built between 1806 and 1808 to commemorate Napoleon's military victories of the previous year. The more famous Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile was designed in the same year, but it took thirty years to build and is about twice the size.
The monument is 63 feet high, 75 feet wide, and 24 feet deep. Around its exterior are eight Corinthian columns of marble, topped by eight soldiers of the Empire. On the pediment, between the soldiers, bas-reliefs depict:
The quadriga atop the arch is a copy of the so-called Horses of Saint Mark that adorn the top of the main door of the St Mark's Basilica in Venice. It is also known as "Peace Riding in a Triumphal Chariot".
Although I didn't go into the museum, I was able to walk around and see in through some of the windows. Here are a few of the items.
The Louvre was the actual seat of power in France until Louis XIV moved to Versailles 1682, bringing the government with him. Here's a short video showing the entire complex.
http://youtu.be/Q6VqJ7lFjhE
The tour guide told us before lunch what time we would be leaving the Louvre and to meet outside the Pyramid, but we couldn't find anyone from our tour. So Margaret, Bob and I took another taxi to the train station. Here we are waiting.
Then I went off to have a beer.
After the Eiffel Tower, we the group was supposed to meet the bus to continue on to the Louvre.
However, the couple I ate lunch with, Margaret and Bob from New Jersey, could not find the bus! Luckily, we didn't leave anything on the bus, like our return train ticket. We took a taxi.
I did not have an entry ticket, and because we were only going to have about an hour in the museum, I chose not to frantically rush around just to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa with a horde of tourists. Maybe another time.
The famous Louvre Pyramid.
Spent a lot of time sitting at the Louis XIV statue. Gian Lorenzo Bernini was the sculptor. The original statue was actually carved from a single block of Carrara marble by Bernini's students and was completed prior to 1673. Louis took an instant dislike to it. He first ordered it to be broken into pieces but relented and had it exiled to the far end of the gardens near the Pool of the Swiss Guards after his likeness was removed.
Arc de Triomphe du Carroussel was built between 1806 and 1808 to commemorate Napoleon's military victories of the previous year. The more famous Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile was designed in the same year, but it took thirty years to build and is about twice the size.
The monument is 63 feet high, 75 feet wide, and 24 feet deep. Around its exterior are eight Corinthian columns of marble, topped by eight soldiers of the Empire. On the pediment, between the soldiers, bas-reliefs depict:
- the Arms of the Kingdom of Italy with figures representing History and the Arts
- the Arms of the French Empire with Victory, Fame, History, and Abundance
- Wisdom and Strength holding the arms of the Kingdom of Italy, accompanied by Prudence and Victory.
The quadriga atop the arch is a copy of the so-called Horses of Saint Mark that adorn the top of the main door of the St Mark's Basilica in Venice. It is also known as "Peace Riding in a Triumphal Chariot".
The Louvre was the actual seat of power in France until Louis XIV moved to Versailles 1682, bringing the government with him. Here's a short video showing the entire complex.
http://youtu.be/Q6VqJ7lFjhE
The tour guide told us before lunch what time we would be leaving the Louvre and to meet outside the Pyramid, but we couldn't find anyone from our tour. So Margaret, Bob and I took another taxi to the train station. Here we are waiting.
Then I went off to have a beer.
posted by ~L~ @ 10:59 PM
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