Why I wasn’t sure about visiting the Louvre Museum
Because I knew this would happen.
Okay, I should say first, I had an amazing time at the Musée du Louvre. The famous Louvre Museum. I truly loved it. The pyramid, the art, and the surrounding buildings… everything about it was amazing. But I’m saying I knew it would happen at some point, eventually.
Organize the itinerary for Paris wasn’t easy. I have five days here but, it’s Paris! There are so many things to do and see. Nonetheless, the top choices were clear: the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame de Paris, Montmartre – because we are staying here- and the Louvre. And then I thought, “Wait a second.” I hesitated a little on the Louvre. I wasn’t like I didn’t want to go, but I didn’t want to bury myself in the crowd. Paris is big and packed with tourists, and the Louvre would be one of the most congested places in the entire city. It is the best museum in the world, no doubt, it would be absurd not to visit. But still, I wasn’t 100% sure. Why? Because I knew this would happen.
I was lucky enough to visit MET and MoMA this summer. New York City was delightful with so many aspects especially the arts. During my visit to a few art museums in NYC, witnessed the same scene in front of the Starry Night, by Van Gogh. Art expert is one of the things that I’m not, but I loved the Starry Night when I first saw it from the textbook because it was about the night sky. And there it was, the original painting of the Starry Night, but I couldn’t be emotional or nostalgic.
Gone to far?
The Louvre is more than enough to explore avoiding the crowd, but we all want to see the certain famous art pieces, like Mona Lisa. When the time comes, we have to swim through the pool of tour groups, school kids, paparazzi and just travelers just like me.
The crowd is okay, it’s not pleasant but I understand. I’m one of them. More disturbing one is the photography part. I for one, I’d like to document my travel moment through the camera. If I were looking at one of the most famous art works, I would want to shoot a shot or two. And I do. I’m a proud owner of a photo of Van Gogh, Leonardo Da Vince, and a bunch of other famous artists’ works. But I’m sometimes thinking when in the museum; it’s gone too far. The flash: it’s very clear not to burst a flash to a hundred years old oil painting. But it is still happening. The photographing: do people actually enjoy the painting that is right in front of them? Do they cherish the experience? The joy of looking at one of the most valuable assets in the entire world face to face. That I can’t exchange it for anything. Even over the hundreds of shoulders of other people, Mona Lisa looked stunning.
Photography and travel always have been very controversial. It is the essential part of the person’s journey, but sometimes it’s better not to have a camera. It is distracting and it is weighing me down. Yet, I got to have it. It’s the same logic in the museum. Good to document your special moment, but there should be a line. It should be a ‘customary’ behavior.
The Musee du Louvre was amazing. The amounts of art pieces are more than enough to explore for a month in a row. Possibly the best 11 euros I’ve ever spent. I didn’t get to see Mona Lisa up close but saw other amazing paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci, up close. It was beautiful.
Amazing time at the Louvre and the recurring experience got me thinking. What do you think? Have you ever thought about it?
