WINK, WINK MONA LISA, DO YOU SMILE TO TEMPT A LOVER?

Our first full day in Paris had definites on our schedule starting with what would be the ritual croissant and museum visits. Day 2: the Louvre followed that evening with the Pompidou Center for a special David Hockney exhibit.

A lot of scandal of this modern
addition to the historic Louvre

Whether one has limited/ unlimited time one might want to anticipate how much time to allow to stroll/visit any museum. BUT when one is tackling the Musee du Louvre, Europe's oldest and largest, one could easily spend an entire day on just one floor/in front of just one painting.  So a suggestion might be to pre-decide which pieces of art are on the 'have to see' list.  Our top choice and everybody else's apparently is the ever popular Mona Lisa by Leonardo di Vinci which once graced Napoleon's bedroom and gained notoriety when it was supposedly stolen by Picasso from the Louvre. (BTW the robber ended up being an Italian carpenter.)

Our game plan was to arrive early and head straight to see the infamous smile of Mona Lisa. She even has her own guide signs to find her. And wouldn't you know all these other folks beat us to her?  I found it much more entertaining to snap a picture of them taking pics/selfies with the famous lady. Isn't this a hoot?

Don't forget to look up!

The bottom line is this 16th century U shaped palace is overwhelming with its humongous halls and countless stair cases. The Vatican is the only other European museum whose guests outnumber this Paris landmark. 

                                                  

Famous Renaissance to Romantic artists line the walls one after another. Knowing we would have the opportunity to see other examples of their work was comforting. 

SO much to see.

I hope this guy realized he didn't need to jump that he could return another day. Some folks just plan on returning over and over again.  It's wonderful if you have that luxury. Most of us never do. 

Leonardo di Vinci never thought much of this later piece of his art. Don't tell that to the throngs who flock to see her. Wink, wink. In fact, I zoomed in on her and I swear I saw her wink at me.

Most folks allow 2 hours as their max for a visit to any museum including the Louvre. If you have the time, take breaks, eat some lunch and give yourself the ultimate gift of enjoying the treasures of the Louvre.

Do you remember Nat King Cole's rendition of Mona Lisa? Take a listen :MONA LISA followed by Unforgettable which Mona Lisa has become throughout time. Who knew?