I see dead people

The Louvre.... Another tourist hot spot.  Another day with the hoi polloi.  Our plan was a lot like a James Brown lyric:  hit it and quit.  We planned to start early, see the points of family interest, which were the Egyptian section and the Italian section, and then get the heck out of there.  


Things started out promising enough... the 'secret' side entrance got us in pretty quickly and the Egyptian section was down right pleasant.  I was digging the way they build the history of the building into the exhibits.  The French are also very clever in their signage and crowd flow... we've noticed this in the Metro, in Les Invalides, and the Louvre.  


The Italian wing was quite another experience.  Shoulder to shoulder with all walks of travelers.  Armies of tour groups, hordes of kids in matching red caps (definitely creepy), tour guides holding up strange stuffed flowers to stand out in the crowd, followed by masses of adults all raising their hands for a count-off without a hint of irony.


Reading Rick Steve's guide got us ready and kept us in good humor, but good god was it crowded.


I mean really, is this any way to enjoy art?  See that teeny square in the middle?  That's the Mona Lisa.  Those of you reading this post are about as close to it as I was.  

But it is a conundrum... great art, in an incredible space (every once in a while you walk into a room where you are reminded quite clearly that this was once an amazing, over the top, castle).  Of course there are going to be crowds.  What's better, crowds or lines?  Because you're going to have one or the other.


So we pressed on through the Grand Gallery, in all of it's contemplative serenity

and felt pretty clever for having our Rick Steve's along with us so we could point out interesting facts about the paintings to the kids.  There is some pretty stellar Renaissance art there.

Seeing as how we are not religious people, our kids are seeing some of these images and hearing some of the stories of not only the life of Jesus, but also the rise of Christianity, for the first time.  It has made for some interesting conversations.  One thing is for sure, kids love gore, so ours are pretty fascinated by all the saints and martyrs and cross action.


About 20 minutes into the Renaissance section Auggie turned to me and said, "Why did they draw so many dead people?"  Good question little man.  It does kind of bring you down after a while.


We took that as our cue.  On to a quick swing through the sculpture section, and then to the fresh air awaiting us on the other side of the exit.  


Louvre... 9:30 to 12:00.  Not a bad way to spend a few hours, but like the Eiffel tower I realize that trophy hunting my way through famous landmarks and rarities is not my favorite way to spend a vacation.