We ended our tour at the Carnavalet Museum, which is divided between two Marais mansions, one being "pre-Revolutionyears " and the other, "the Revolution years." We were way too tired to take much in, vowing to return to Paris so we could better experience it. Off to find lunch and relax, and ended up at Le Tresor where we enjoyed our main meal of the day, steak tartare for Beth, baked chicken for me! Back to the hotel for a rest.
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Our final activity of the day was an evening tour of the Louvre, Europe's oldest, and greatest museum. It houses the famous Mona Lisa, Venus di Milo, Winged Victory, along with thousands more masterpieces by great artists like Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael and many, many more.
We met a local guide at the museum, who led us through two hours of the most sought after works. Mona herself was much smaller than I had expected, and has been housed behind bulletproof glass ever since someone took a shot at her many years ago. I found Winged Victory the most moving of these main objects. Headless she may have been, but she still stands, wings extended, ready to fight and protect. |