Saturday dawned bright and sunny in Paris. We were looking forward to enjoying our last day in the French capital before heading off the following morning to Bordeaux and our Uniworld river cruise. After another breakfast in the Westin’s Le First Restaurant, we gathered mid-morning to meet Gilles, our guide for a private tour of “La Louvre.” It was another beautiful day and so we strolled through the Tuileries Garden and reached this most--famous museum in about ten minutes’ time. It was exciting to be visiting the world’s most visited museum and such a historic Parisian landmark, particularly with an experienced guide as out host.
The Louvre traces its beginnings back to the Twelfth Century. It first served as a fortress to defend the downstream part of the Seine, which was the traditional route used by invaders since the time of the Vikings five hundred years earlier. Parts of the foundation can still be seen today and marked the beginning of our tour. The Louvre Palace was begun by King Francis I in 1546 on the site of that Twelfth Century fortress. He was a great art collector, and the Louvre was to serve as his royal residence.
Later, King Henri IV (1553-1610) had a large gallery built between the Louvre Palace and Tuileries Palace to move between the seat of power and his apartments. Modernization work began on the Louvre, but it would only be completed during the reign of his grandson Louis XIV who then quickly began moving on to other building projects at Versailles. While the court of the Sun King was at Versailles, the Louvre Palace was occupied by noblemen, intellectuals and artists who took up residence there. In the Eighteenth Century, they suggested the idea of a museum to the current king and Louis XVI loved the concept. Work began and continued even after his downfall, so that after more than two centuries as a royal palace, the works of the royal collections were eventually placed on exhibit there. Over the years, the holdings grew as a result of confiscations, military successes and donations. Today, the Louvre's collection is one of the richest in the world, with artwork and artifacts representing over 11,000 years of human civilization and culture!
The museum contains more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art at any one time. It‘s somewhat overwhelming and we were pleased to have Gilles on hand to lead us through it all. In order to become a licensed guide, he told me one must possess at least a Bachelor’s degree with two years as an art major and additional training in French history. From there, one applies for a state certificate and completes an additional year of French history and art training. Finally, successful candidates must pass a written examination designed to test their knowledge and lastly undergo an interview evaluating their oral communication skills. There didn’t seem to be any question Gilles couldn’t answer as he led us through the vast collections. One of the highlights was seeing the Venus de Milo, one of the most illustrious works of ancient Greek sculpture created sometime between 150 and 125 BC!
Of course, no visit to the Louvre would be complete with seeing the Mona Lisa. Painted by Leonardo da Vince in the early Sixteenth Century, it’s been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world”. We asked Gilles why it was so famous. He replied with one word, “marketing.” Be that as it may, there were throngs of visitors waiting to see the painting on that Saturday morning. Just two of us decided to brave the crowds and wait in the line bordered with endless stanchions, moving ever-so-slowly back and forth while inching towards the painting. Directly ahead of us were several teenaged girls and when they approached the piece, one of them whipped out her cellphone, looked to her colleagues and asked, “Selfie with Mona?” whereupon they all began to pose before this 600 year old masterpiece. I was taken aback as it appeared to be more important for them to be captured in front of the painting than it was for them to admire it. Without missing a beat, the guards on duty sprung into action, briskly moving them along so that those of us waiting in line would have an opportunity to gaze at that most famous and celebrated work of art. While I couldn’t get over how self-absorbed they were, the absurdity of it all struck me as very funny indeed!
A short walk from the Westin at the Place Vendome was the acclaimed Ritz Hotel and we headed down to the Ritz Bar for cocktails later in the evening. A member of the Leading Hotels of the World, it’s ranked as one of the most luxurious hotels to be found anywhere on Earth. We were among the first groups waiting for the bar to open and, as such, were treated to the evening ritual of the large shade which encircles the circular bar rising up to the ceiling. Our server was genuinely warm and solicitous and the drinks list was extensive. Several among us opted for the cocktail offerings based upon their astrological signs. Alas, they had run out of an ingredient needed for my “Gemini” cocktail, but I enjoyed a glass of Bordeaux instead in preparation for our upcoming cruise. Nothing is inexpensive at the Ritz, including the drinks, but we all agreed visiting the iconic hotel was worth the price paid.
Soon it was time to head back to the Westin in order to meet the driver taking us to our dinner cruise on the Seine. Imagine our surprise to discover it was Joel, the same fellow who guided us through the Palace of Versailles! The Westin Guest Relations staff had made a booking for us with Bateaux Parisiens and it didn’t take long for Joel to safely deliver us to Pier 6 at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. That’s where we boarded their glass enclosed, flat bottomed boat for the evening’s adventure. We’d selected their Premiere Service and were soon seated at our own beautifully set table in the very front of the boat and greeted with glasses of rosé champagne. It wasn’t long before we were cruising along the Seine, marveling at the bridges and monuments along both the Right and Left Banks in the evening glow of the setting sun. A gourmet, four-course meal was prepared on board, including our choice of starter, main course, cheese selection and dessert. The courses were accompanied by wine pairings and every time our server would fill a glass, he’d exclaim, “Ooh La La.” A band and talented singer were also aboard and the vocalist made her way to every table throughout the evening. Farewell glasses of champagne were served along with petits fours before we disembarked after a memorable evening. We rendezvoused with Joel shortly thereafter and had a hilarious ride back to the Westin as I reminisced about the girls at the Louvre and their desire for a “Selfie with Mona.”
We bid “adieu” to both the Westin Hotel and Paris on Sunday, traveling to the Montparnasse Station for the mid-morning high speed train to Bordeaux. As we were en route, my wife announced, “Look, there’s Joel.” Sure enough, there he was in the very next lane! We waved and although he waved back, we couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps we had too much fun in his van going back to the hotel the previous evening. We’ll never know. Arriving at the station though, we watched the departure board until our train and platform were listed. Before too long, we were settled aboard and in the seats assigned to us on our car’s upper deck. The TGV or “Train å Grande Vitesse” are the high-speed trains operated by French National Railways. We traveled at speeds approaching two hundred miles per hour, making the journey in a little more than two hours. And it couldn’t have been any smoother or any quieter. What a pleasure it was to see the countryside flash by our windows while relaxing in the spacious and comfortable First Class seats (which had airplane-like controls for sliding forward or backward with the simple push of a button). We arrived at the Bordeaux Saint-Jean Station about 12:15 in the afternoon and, after figuring out exactly which way to exit, managed to locate two taxis to transport us to the ship.
I’ll tell you all about our week-long Uniworld river cruise in upcoming posts.
Until next time…safe travels.
... and I was waiting to find out that the driver of the TGV train was Joel !!! Cannot wait to see your selfie with Mona :-)
What a fun read. Looks like you all are having a great time sightseeing, dining and enjoying your tour guides. Hope Mona has recovered from her experience. Giggly girls can be traumatizing!!
I felt I was right along with you in this piece. I had one of those chairs at the Ritz Bar along with watching the girls getting “selfies with Mona“. The adventure of the night was the river cruse!
You certainly have the gift!
Thanks again for sharing. ❤️