Le Louvre / Notre Dame

Then it was on to the Louvre – the largest art museum in the world! Again, this is a very crowded place. So, the students went in groups of three throughout the museum. I tried as well as I could to show the students the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory, the Mona Lisa, Liberty Leading the People and the Raft of the Medeuse, as well as Italian Renaissance painting. We’re not actually permitted to stop in front of works with large groups and talk about them. You have to be a registered Louvre guide to do that.

There were so many people and we were dispersed, so I don’t have photos of the students in the Louvre, just outside while we waited to gather together.

From the Louvre, we walked past the Bookinists on the Left Bank and ended up in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Even though she is damaged and under reconstruction, we felt that it was important for our students to have the experience.

I haven’t mentioned the temperature in Paris. When we left Brest at 7AM Saturday, it was 69 degrees. When we arrived in Versailles, it was 84. When we started up the Eiffel Tower, it was 85. By the time we were at Notre Dame, it was over 90 degrees. Some of our students were flagging by then.

The Venus de Milo

Winged Victory (La Victoire de
Samothrace). She stands over 20' tall,
even without her head.

La Jaconde (Mona Lisa) The 
painting is about 11" x 14" and
wasn't that famous until she was
stolen in 1910 by a crazy Italian.

Liberty Leading the people by Eugène Delacroix. It depicts
a battle on the barricades for the revolution that overthrew
Charles X in 1830, not the revolution of 1789. Note 
references to Victor Hugo's Les Misérables.

In front of the Pyramide du Louvre

Here we are!

Harmon tolerates yet another
picture!

We take a lot of pictures of one another.

Not sure what's going on here...

Anna M in a rare pose.

I LOVE this picture!


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