The Louvre

OK, so I picked the wrong day to visit the Louvre. The Olympics just ended, Paris is full of tourists who don't know what to do with themselves, it's hot as blazes outside, and the Musee d'Orsay is closed. Let's all go to the Louvre!

Admittedly, it's an ENORMOUS building. There should be enough room for everyone. But a lot of the exhibits I wanted to see were closed, and the 'more famous' rooms (like the Venus de Milo) were CROWDED. I didn't even bother waiting in the loooong line to get into the wing that houses the Mona Lisa. (Another time.)

I was able to see their spectacular collection of (other, equally amazing but less famous) Greco-Roman sculptures, and even do some drawing.

And I got to check out the Dutch masters.

I also checked out a cool new (to me, anyway) exhibit on the history of the Louvre itself. It's down in the basement, where you can see the original wall footings from the 13th century. The exhibit explains the various incarnations of the building, with drawings to illustrate how the architecture changed over time - from a military fortress to a palace, to a museum with a starbucks inside.