Yesterday, we went to the Musee Grevin. It is a quirky wax museum with an odd mixture of recreations of important French historical moments and popular culture. It was founded by Monseiur Grevin, uncle to one Madame Tussaud. We had such fun seeing items from the Expo of 1900 and enjoying seeing people famous and important in French culture. The costumes were awesome and some of the scenes were grisly (be glad I skipped the more gruesome photos from the Inquisition, the Black Plague and the Revolution).
After a lovely picnic in the park, we headed back to the Louvre. We adore spending time there. It also struck me that the cost to get in is so low. We spent four times more getting into the wax museum. The one thing that feels wrong to me is the fact that there is a shopping mall attached to the Louvre. It is completely underground so it actually sits beneath the Jardin Tuileries. It hurts my brain that I can walk out of the room that holds the Mona Lisa walk down a few corridors and end up at the Apple Store.
We spend hours pouring through the treasures until they kicked us out at closing time. It was nice to go so late in the day because there were actually times when we had entire rooms to ourselves. This seems especially neat since the crowd around the Mona Lisa was ridiculous. We also love that the floors are labeled, -1, 0, 1, 2. We mostly explored floor -1 and 2 this time around. Often, it is a toss up whether the art or the architecture is more compelling because they are both so extraordinary.
Today became a day of preparations. We walked to the nearest train station and waited in line to activate our EuRail passes and make numerous reservations for the coming weeks. We spent some time doing laundry, doing our best to eat all the bread and pastries in the city and shopping for gifts for all you lovely people.
Tomorrow we are off on our first train trip. We are going to visit some friends in Brittany for a few days. We may not be able to find reliable Internet while we are traveling, so we are not sure we shall be able to post here everyday. We shall do the best we can.
Isn't it fun to visit the same place several times over a number of days or weeks? The first impressions can be overwhelming, but you always pick up something new once you've had a chance to feel your way around a bit. SO glad you've had the chance to try to Louvre on like an old, comforting coat.
ReplyDeleteBeth, Did you get a chance to see the Cluny? If not are you coming back to Paris again? I love that museum-see it if at all possible.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I went to the Louvre there was no IM Pei pyramid and definitely no shopping mall. The last time there was and the 9th graders I took loved the mall more than the museum. I know they spent more time there. Maybe if they'd up the admission price they wouldn't have had to sell out the entrance to commerce.
Have a blast and take our love with you. What a wonderful thing to do - go on the rail!!!
ReplyDeleteI love hearing how you are going from just sight seeing to truly experiencing. So cool.