We Went To The Louvre During Peak Season...

Crowds. I can only hope that you are not claustrophobic should you ever decide to visit the famous Louvre Museum during peak tourist season a.k.a. when Charles and I were there this past July. Because it’s reallly, realllly crowded. Like “bout to throw dem bows” crowded… Luckily for me and Charles, we were mentally prepared to endure such crowds since we had done our research beforehand. We were up at the crack of dawn (7:30am) to get there in time for the 9:00am opening of the museum. Of course, everyone else had the same idea and we all kind of arrived at the same time haha but not really haha but really haha because it was what it was… haha. (<– Did I really just type that sentence?)

With our tickets in hand, we had only one main objective for the Louvre: To see the Mona Lisa. Other than that, we planned just wander around and enjoy ourselves along the way. So off we went to the Denon Wing to see Mona and her glorified smirk. We walked through corridors upon corridors, making a few stops along the way to check out the artwork and so that I could admire the ceilings because well, the ceilings were pretty spectacular. If anything I was more impressed with the ceiling art and building design than alot of the artwork and sculptures along the eye level walls… Hence the many photos of ceilings to come..

^^ Ceiling #1

^^ Feel free to place your caption for this photo in the comments below ;)

^^ Ceiling #2

Many tour groups are led by guides who carry umbrellas or sticks with flags above their heads to keep their group together. Whenever Charles and I saw a stick waving in the air in front of us, we braced ourselves for traffic jams since these large groups generally move at a slower pace.

^^ Ceiling #3

^^ Doesn’t it look like the people standing below the painting are an extension of the artwork?

Almost like they could climb into the painting to join in on Jesus and The Last Dinner if they wanted to…

^^ Life Imitating Art

^^ Charles For The Photobomb Win (Ceiling #4)

Oh Mona… She just looking at us looking at her liiiike, “Meh. What-eva. Seen one tourist, I seen ’em all.” So after we were done checking her out, Charles and I left the Denon Wing to go check out the art in the Sully and Richelieu Wings which is when I put my camera in my purse to be present in the moment.. And 3 hours later, we finally made our way outside to get some fresh air and attempt to touch the tip of the Louvre pyramid…

Major emphasis on attempt haha… But at least I tried right??? Anyways, I think this is a good stopping point for today. Our visit to the Louvre marked the beginning of our 1st day in Paris a.k.a. our 4th day in France. It also marks the beginning of my sharing photos with you from our time abroad this past July/August. As you can see, I’m more than likely going to be bouncing around sharing posts about Europe out of order to keep things exciting and also because I’ve been editing my photos out of order as well… (Un) Organized creative chaos for the win :)

Have you ever visited a tourist destination during peak tourist season? How did/do you deal with the crowds?

Happy Happy Monday!