taking on the louvre

visiting the louvre is a must, and is probably on every traveler's list. while i certainly did not want to pass up the opportunity to see a fraction of the 35,000 things in its collection, i have to admit that i actually was not completely looking forward to my visit.

for one thing, the musee du louvre is HUGE. it occupies over 60,000 square meters of space. because of this, i took the advice of the well-traveled and told myself that i should not even attempt to take in all the masterpieces in its walls. another thing was that i have read very little about this museum (being too caught up with the orsay), so i didn't know what to expect, or who to expect (save for the mona lisa and venus de milo).

no line had formed yet when we arrived by metro. as it turns out, there's an exit in the metro that takes you to the carrousel du louvre, a shopping space under the museum's famous pyramid. here, another entrance to the museum can be found, with much less people than by the main entrance.

since the museum was not opening its doors until 10am (that's later than usual because there was an event they had to take care of), susie and i decided to explore the area right outside the museum. we ended up walking to the jardin de tuileries, where we were able to sit by the fountain and watch the other people in the park. the weather, however, decided to turn chilly, so we headed back to the carrousel du louvre entrance.

under the pyramids.
another entrance to the museum by the carrousel du louvre

i was shocked to find that an incredibly long line had already materialized in the few minutes that we were gone. so we quickly fell in line, and after a few minutes, the "gates" opened. this line was just to enter the cour carrée, a square that contains information booths, ticket booths, and the cloak room. good thing we already had our museum pass, so we didn't need to line up again for tickets. we decided to pass on the audio guides, so we just got a map of the museum, and dove headfirst into the throng of masterpieces.

we saw venus de milo, ramses II, winged victory. then came the paintings. i saw the card sharper by georges de la tour, a self-portrait of albrecht durer, une odalisque (la grande odalisque) by jean-auguste-dominique ingres, who became an instant favorite. my head was starting to spin with all the colors, the figures, the symbols. i may sound like an ingrate to you, but i didn't want any of these paintings to be forgotten, to be erased in my head. they were all beautiful, all important, and i wanted to allot precious brain GBs in my head for them. but thank god photography was allowed, and i can look at them so i can keep remembering.

in the middle of our visit, an alarm started to go off. "haha, somebody must have touched a painting or something," susie said. then the alarm was followed by an announcement in french, spanish, and then english, of which we only caught "please leave the premises immediately." i looked around and saw that nobody was following these instructions, so i thought i should do the same. susie insisted we go out and see what happened, since there were terror threats at the time.

i was very resistant and reluctant to do that, because we had come so far into the museum, and i really didn't want to go back to the cour carrée, then pick up where we left off if things were fine. it's idiotic, i know, but that's how enormous this museum was. i was tired and hungry, and i wanted to just cover the other things we wanted to see and leave. but susie kept insisting, and it was the logical and safe thing to do, so we looked for the exit.

tired.
where can i get a massage around here?

when we finally reached the exit, the museum guards were just hanging out and talking like nothing happened, while the alarm was still going off inside. we asked them what the matter was. the response? something along the lines of "oh, nothing. false alarm. if we want you out, we'll get you out." i counted to ten, and walked back into the labyrinth.

after that, all the other things in the museum became a blur. all i was after was to see the mona lisa. we had entered one of the galleries, and saw a line of people trying to muscle their way into another gallery. and that's when i knew that i was only seconds away from meeting her. my exhaustion melted, my hunger vanished. i went straight for the crowd and used the singit skills that i've acquired through years of taking the MRT. in no time, i was near the front, elbowing my way to a wall covered with glass, to protect the precious little frame inside it.

my right hand lowered the camera. all around me, people were scrambling to get the perfect photo, but i couldn't take a snapshot--i was just staring. some people told me that when they saw her, they said, "that's it?!" because she was so tiny. but the words in my heard were, "THIS. IS. IT." it sounds too dramatic, but i nearly cried. for a friggin' painting. but being face to face with something so important was so incredibly overwhelming that i froze. i managed to get ahold of myself, and eventually snapped a photo, but i think that moment will stay with me for a while.

the superstar of the louvre.
the crowd trying to get closer to la gioconda

before that moment, i was being so cranky, i was being an ungrateful bruha because the louvre was exhausting the hell out of me. but when i got to that moment, and looking back at what i've seen, i would do it again, but next time, i will slap myself silly if i ever feel like complaining. because the things you see in the louvre are worth all the effin' trouble. the expensive admission fee, the long wait in the even longer line, the crowds, the indecipherable french descriptions, the starvation--they all seem so inconsequential when you think about what you take away from the louvre.

more photos of my visit to the louvre here.

museum information
musee du louvre
address: 75001 paris, france
opening hours: 9am-6pm (monday, thursday, saturday, sunday), 9am-10pm (wednesday & friday), closed on tuesdays
admission fee: EUR 10
metro: palais royal-musee du louvre
buses: 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95, or the paris tourist bus
batobus: louvre stop

centre pompidou

jetlag got the better of us after our trip to the musee d'orsay, so we decided to go back to the hotel and rest. we woke up at about 6pm. the only sights we could visit then was the centre pompidou, paris's museum of modern art, and the arc de triomphe, as they both stay open until late.

we got off our asses and took the metro to rambuteau, and were awed when we were faced with the mighty structure of the centre georges pompidou. the entire building have 7 "superstructure" levels, and occupies a land area of 2 hectares. it's mostly made of steel and glass, which makes it look modern despite the fact that it's been around since february 1977. i was intimidated from the sight of it alone.

we were there an hour and a half before closing time, so we didn't get to see everything on display. we did get to check out elles@centrepompidou, which is an exhibition of and about different kinds of art pieces by women. my favorite part of the museum is the fifth level, where i got to see modern works by picasso, matisse, miro, modigliani, gris, among others. it was a pleasant surprise, as i wasn't able to do a lot of research for this particular museum.

aside from the artworks, the 6th level also gives you a darned good view of paris. there's a cafe and restaurant there, but we decided to have dinner somewhere else.

check out the things i saw at the centre pompidou.

museum information
centre pompidou
metro stops: rambuteau, hôtel de ville, châtelet
RER stop: Châtelet - Les Halles
bus: 21, 29, 38, 47, 58, 69, 70, 72, 74, 75, 76, 81, 85, 96
notes: closed on tuesdays and may 1st
admission: EUR 12, EUR 3 for panorama ticket (access to the panoramic view at 6th floor only, no entry to museums and exhibitions)

first paris museum stop: the musee d'orsay

after paying our respects to sartre and de beauvoir, we walked along boulevard raspail to the musee d'orsay. being a big fan of the impressionist movement, i just HAD to see it. in fact, the musee d'orsay was the main reason i included paris in our itinerary in the first place. i had been ready to abandon the louvre, but nobody would have been able to convince me to skip the orsay.

it took us 45 minutes to walk from our hotel to the orsay. along the way, we chanced upon a small street market selling fresh produce, as well as cheese, sandwiches, and quiches. we each bought a quiche and had that for breakfast while walking to the seine.

the museum is on the left bank of the seine; the louvre faces it from the right bank. the orsay's impressive collection is housed in the beaux-arts structure of what was known as gare d'orsay, an old rail station where trains to southwestern france would depart from. however, the gare d'orsay's short platforms could not conform to the longer trains that were starting to be used, so in 1939, it had to be closed. it then became a mailing center during the second world war. in 1977, the french government decided to turn it into a museum, and started conversion works that spanned six years (1980 to 1986). the museum opened in 1 december 1986, under the government of president francois mitterand.

when we reached the museum, there was a line snaking from its revolving doors. it didn't take long for it to move, though, and before long, we were by the ticket counters. susie and i had agreed earlier to get the two-day museum pass. it's EUR32 for two days, and gives you access to a number of museums and sights in the french capital. it also lets you skip the long lines at the ticket booths, which is the reason we went for it. in paris, you not only line up just to enter, but the line at the ticket booths can take up a lot of your time. if you're staying for four days or more, you can also avail of the four-day paris museum pass. this is actually a lot better than the two-day one, since you can spread out your museum visits in four days, and have time to see the rest of the city. before you do get one, though, make a list of the museums that you want to visit, tally the admission costs, and see if you can get your money's worth. the museum pass is available in the establishments that it grants free access to, as well as airports and tourist centers.

after paying for our tickets, we made our way to the gate that leads to the main hall. i paused by the entrance for a bit to take it all in. this is it, i told myself. i'm in the orsay. i'm in paris. there were plenty of people milling around, but it wasn't noisy at all. the museum was undergoing repairs, so there were new signs to lead visitors to the different halls. i look to my right and saw IMPRESSIONISM and POST-IMPRESSIONISM, and made a beeline for them, with susie trailing behind. here, i saw works by degas, manet, renoir, toulouse-lautrec, pissarro, and other greats.

i had to request for a break once we were done with the halls on the right side of the museum. it's surprising how walking from one gallery to another, and looking at paintings, can be tiring. luckily, there was a cafe at the ground level of the orsay, so susie and i bought drinks and shared a ham and cheese sandwich to tide us over. after that, we tackled the halls on the left side of the museum. here, i saw works by honore daumier (sadly, "rue transnonain," the only daumier work that i'm familiar with, is not in the orsay), and paul gauguin's tahiti paintings. there was also a sala dedicated to van gogh, where i saw "the church at auvers" and "le docteur paul gachet" both painted the year he died.

after that, i scoured the rest of the museum for edgar degas's "young dancer." we went upstairs and sped through the art nouveau furniture collection, but took our time with the rodin sculptures. when i couldn't find degas, i decided to go to the information counter to ask. there was a man asking for the specific locations of every painting he wanted to see. he asked for "bal du moulin de la galette" by renoir, another painting i was looking for, i strained to hear the response: "sorry, that painting is on loan." when it was my turn at the counter, i asked about "young dancer," and received the same reply.

i felt disappointed, since i wanted to go to paris to go to the orsay, and wanted to go to the orsay to see those two things. but of course, when i look back on the paintings that i saw that day, i can't really say that the trip was a disappointment. the orsay wasn't just about those two works. i got to see an amazing collection of artworks in one of my favorite periods in art history. i actually stood in front of a picture that renoir painted many, many years ago. it's not every day that i get to meet these images, and i am very, very thankful for the opportunity to see all these masterpieces. as for "moulin de la galette" and "young dancer," they shall be the next excuse for me to visit paris again.

view more photos of the musee d'orsay.

more information
musee d'orsay
address: 62, rue de lille, 75343 paris
metro: solferino (line 12)
buses: 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, 94

paris museum pass
2 days for EUR 32
4 days for EUR 48
6 days for EUR 64