There is a tremendous amount of art in Paris, so much of our time here will be spent to that effect. Our first day full day in Paris was predominantly consumed with visits to the Louvre and the Pompidou. Needless to say, both museums were outstanding. I don’t think I really need to say much about the Louvre since just about everyone has at least heard of it. Don’t go there just to see the Mona Lisa. It is much smaller than everyone expects and is constantly mobbed with tourists. There are numerous, arguably better, works that go almost unnoticed because of the lack of Da Vinci hype. These are much more pleasant to view without being blinded by flashes and pushed and shoved about. Other reasons to go to the Louvre include seeing Barry Bonds.
Wait what? Yeah, Barry Bonds was also at the Louvre while we were there. After recognizing him, many of us asked him for photos. I supposed he was moderately annoyed that he had been discovered, but he met our request without too much argument. Regardless of your opinion of Barry Bonds, I have a photo with the biggest home-run hitting champion or record-stealing crook of all time. Cool.
The Pompidou is very weird. It’s a modern art museum (of which I’ve seen many on this trip) but of the stranger-than-average variety. It’s definitely worth seeing for the upper floors which contain some genuine works that pretty much everyone can acknowledge for their greatness. The lower floors are simply bizarre. If you would like the details of just how bizarre they really are, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll attempt to keep this blog G-rated.
