Paris: Day 2

Our second day in France began around 10 am with a croissant and jam at the hostel. Our complimentary breakfast also consisted of some kind of foreign chocolate cereal and an assortment of juices. After this quick tide-me-over we headed to the Lourve museum. When we stepped out of the metro station we noticed a group dressed in all black with crosses. After reading the banner and listening to their chanting I realized that they were speaking out against using animals as testing subjects.

Animal rights activists protesting outside the Louvre

After getting past the spectacle outside, we proceeded into the Louvre’s central courtyard. Seeing the glass pyramid in person was awesome and another reminder of ‘holy crap, I’m in France!’. After taking some touristy photos around the building and with the pyramid, we joined the cue (line) into the Louvre. The Louvre is the world’s most visit museum and spans over 650,000 square feet. Needless to say, we did not get to see the entire museum in the one day we were there.

We were able to see a lot of the statues and European paintings, as well as the famous works of art like the Mona Lisa and the Venus di Milo. My favorite painting was Paul Delaroche's Young Christian Martyr, painted in 1855.

 Paul Delaroche's Young Christian Martyr, 1855. 

Chatting with Minerva

Honey Boo Boo Child.

Mona Lisa

Venus di Milo

The Three Graces

The beautiful thing about the Louvre is that the entire building is a work of art. The ceilings and walls are adorned with statues and paintings and create an extremely beautiful sight.

Trim around the ceiling

 Just a ceiling.

 Room in the Louvre

Admiring some statues

After a full day at the Louvre we wandered the streets of Paris for a bit and stopped into a few local shops. We saw everything from putrid cheeses to debonair clothing. A cool thing about antique shops outside of the US is that they have objects that are centuries old. It's almost like browsing through a miniature museum! Having spent the day embracing culture and art, we decided to go out to a club that night. We found a good place in downtown Paris and wound up making some new French friends and having a blast!

  Before a night out in Paris!