Paris Day 3 (Part 1): The Louvre

We had every intention of getting nice and early to the Louvre - even before it opens at 9am - but we only managed to arrive at 9:30am when there was already a long queue to get into the museum. With an 11:30am lunch booking to meet, we didn't have much time to look around the Louvre. It was just as well because we don't have much endurance when it comes to museums, especially with a 4.5-year-old kid in tow, and us adults not being museum people. We covered perhaps less than 10% of the vast museum in the 1.5 hours we were there, but I'm glad we took the time to visit the Louvre - one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument itself. Here are some of the photos I took that morning of our third day in Paris.

Admiring the architecture on Rue de Rivoli, just after exiting the Louvre-Rivoli Metro station:

Another architectural beauty on Rue de Rivoli:

The famous glass pyramid that marks the entrance to Musée du Louvre:

Partial view of the Napoleon Courtyard of Palais du Louvre that houses the Louvre Pyramid (one corner of the pyramid is visible to the bottom left of the shot). Click on image for larger view:

The vast hall on our way towards the Denon Wing of the Louvre:

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, a 2nd-century BC sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike:

Making our way to the Mona Lisa:

Taking a moment for a family portrait - looks like we're behind bars!

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. The exhibition room was incredibly crowded, and it was very difficult to get a clear shot of the painting:

Opposite the Mona Lisa is the huge oil painting by Paolo Veronese of The Wedding Feast at Cana, depicting Jesus' first miracle:

There were also many wondrous works of art above our heads:

Ornate decorations and gold detailing in one of the many rooms of the Louvre:

Another popular exhibit - Venus de Milo, aka Aphrodite of Milos:

The Great Sphinx of Tanis - one of the largest sphinxes outside of Egypt:

Medieval Louvre - underneath the museum are the remains of the medieval foundations of the Louvre castle built in the 12th century:

The Colossal Statue of Ramesses II, an Egyptian pharoah from 1279BC-1213BC:

Pont Royal - a bridge crossing the river Seine, connecting the Musée du Louvre with Musée d'Orsay:

If you see only one museum in Paris (like we did), make it the Louvre!