Travel: Musée du Louvre

We were off to a decent start in Paris by visiting Musée du Louvre. I booked this tour ahead through Flight Centre to avoid the mile long line at the pyramid. Our tour guide was the coolest with blue dyed hair peeking under her fedora hat, wearing structured trench coat paired with jeans and a casual backpack. Was it so wrong to be having initial thoughts on wishing her style would somehow rub off on me? These Parisians really do exude fashion chic and elegance. I remember her having a thick French accent but speaks softly and politely all throughout our ride to The Louvre. After only a few minutes, she had already walked us through the colorful history of Paris.

I will be running out of words to entirely describe The Louvre without sounding like Wikipedia. Most people are probably familiar with this place, which is the home of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. For the art lover in me, the world's biggest museum has always been in my bucketlist. I finally ticked it off but there's a need to go back since our time was very limited that day. The museum is so huge that it will take you more than a day to fully appreciate everything inside. They say you have to spend at least 30 seconds on each piece. FACT: There are over 380,000 priceless masterpieces in total. Good luck squeezing in half of your day to roam around the museum! If possible, it's best to make a whole day of it.

Our tour guide only introduced us to the most famous collections from Venus de Milo, Michelangelo and Bernini's marbled structures to several of France's iconic paintings. Too many artworks to admire that you won't notice you've been walking for three straight hours. Our last stop was the Mona Lisa. I've read several articles on why you shouldn't bother seeing this small overrated painting. Save your furrowed brows and hear me out why I disagree on this. It's true, you have to fight through the madding crowd only to get that paparazzi-style snapshot and stare at it for mere 10 seconds before other tourists push you away. I believe Mona Lisa and Paris come as a package. It's one of the reasons why you visit France. I understand it's nearly impossible to get a clear view and enjoy the painting in clear solitude, which makes it a disappointing experience for some. But who wouldn't want to see this painting shrouded with hidden secrets and conspiracy theories? Mona Lisa is the most celebrated piece of artwork. That alone is enough reason on why you should see it. When you're in Paris for the first time, you really have to visit the cliches.

Related blog posts: Discovering Paris on a Seine River Cruise and Musée d'Orsay