Inside the Louvre
We decided to take some time after work on Wednesday to visit the Louvre in off-peak hours and try to avoid outrageous lines. There is a subway stop conveniently placed right next to the Louvre, so it seemed like a good idea to take the subway over the the museum. We were quickly reminded that after work on a Wednesday may have been off-peak for the Louvre, but that was certainly not the case for the subway system. Luckily our trip wasn't too long, because we were packed in like sardines. Not something I'd like to do again, but an interesting experience.
It turns out the Louvre looks even better at night. The exterior lighting is really well-done and makes the place look even more epic that it normally does.
We wandered around various exhibits, with no real goal in particular. The place is quite huge, so wandering is the easiest option anyway. Ancient Egyptian civilization has always intrigued me, so I spent most of my time looking through the various Egyptian artifacts around the place.
There were lots of other interesting statues, paintings, and artifacts, but I was consistently impressed at how the building itself often upstaged the works within. The ceilings and columns of the place are in many rooms incredibly well done and very ornate. I snapped some pictures of some of my favorites.
After wandering for a few hours we had decided that we were getting tired and started looking for an exit. We located one fairly nearby on the map and decided to head for it, following signs for the "Sortie" (exit). As we got near, I noticed a "Sortie" sign pointing in the complete opposite direction. I double checked, and it turned out that there were signs not 20 feet from each other, each pointing us toward the other sign for the exit. IT'S A TRAP!
As it turned out, the was normally and entrance/exit near where we ended up, but the signs they put up when they close that gate conflicted with the permanent signage. Confusing.
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