This morning, I ambled along the Seine to arrive at the Louvre before it opened at 9am. Educo provided us with cartes jeunesses when we arrived that allow us to visit the Louvre whenever we like, as many times as we like, for free. This was my third visit to the Louvre this fall, and I’m planning to go many, many more times.
My approach is quality over quantity, because I have the luxury to do so! I pick a time period or a few rooms to visit each time, and I don’t stay for more than two hours. I can walk at my own pace, take in every piece of art, and know that I’ve got a couple more months ahead of me to really get to know this museum.
I started with Greek & Roman antiquities. I’m much bigger on paintings than sculptures, so that went by pretty quickly. Then I walked through the apartments of Napoleon III (famous Napoleon’s nephew, who ruled as emperor from his coup d’état in 1852 to his capture by the Prussian army in 1870. According to his apartments, he was just nuts about velvet). My second visit, I was a dutiful Dutch daughter and wandered through the paintings from Holland, Germany, and Flanders, and fell in love with Rubens along the way.
This visit? I finally graduated to the French paintings!
Since I got to the Louvre before it opened and didn’t have to wait in line to buy a ticket, I was able to scurry right over to the French paintings. No one was there. It was amazing. There are usually a hundred people milling through, whether they’re tourists making the mad dash between the holy three (Mona, Venus, and Victory) or groups of bored, chatty French students ignoring their guide.
I spent a solid fifteen minutes alone with Delacroix and Géricault before the first tour group came trotting in, and let me tell you: this is the only way to visit the Louvre.
My approach is quality over quantity, because I have the luxury to do so! I pick a time period or a few rooms to visit each time, and I don’t stay for more than two hours. I can walk at my own pace, take in every piece of art, and know that I’ve got a couple more months ahead of me to really get to know this museum.
I started with Greek & Roman antiquities. I’m much bigger on paintings than sculptures, so that went by pretty quickly. Then I walked through the apartments of Napoleon III (famous Napoleon’s nephew, who ruled as emperor from his coup d’état in 1852 to his capture by the Prussian army in 1870. According to his apartments, he was just nuts about velvet). My second visit, I was a dutiful Dutch daughter and wandered through the paintings from Holland, Germany, and Flanders, and fell in love with Rubens along the way.
This visit? I finally graduated to the French paintings!
Since I got to the Louvre before it opened and didn’t have to wait in line to buy a ticket, I was able to scurry right over to the French paintings. No one was there. It was amazing. There are usually a hundred people milling through, whether they’re tourists making the mad dash between the holy three (Mona, Venus, and Victory) or groups of bored, chatty French students ignoring their guide.
I spent a solid fifteen minutes alone with Delacroix and Géricault before the first tour group came trotting in, and let me tell you: this is the only way to visit the Louvre.
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