Our one-bedroom apartment on the Quai des Grands Augustins was on the Seine overlooking the Louvre so we visited the galleries and restaurants there several times during our 3-week vacation.
Although January is the coldest month in Paris - "there's no bad weather, just bad clothing" - it's the perfect time to visit museums and restaurants and avoid endlessly long lines during the summer.
As you can see, there was no queue at the glass pyramid, designed by the Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei and opened in 1989.
Home to the French kings for almost 4 centuries - and opened to the public in 1793 after the Revolution, the Louvre has one of the world's great art collections, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, known as La Gioconda. The painting has its own wall in the Denon Wing. Yes, it was crowded when we visited, but imagine the crush of people during the summer!
The Winged Victory of Samothrace - a 29-ton statue created about the 2nd century B.C. - sits on a pedestal on top of the Daru staircase in the Denon Wing.
Found in 1820 on the island of Milos in Greece, the Venus de Milo attracts Louvre visitors to the Sully Wing.
When Doug and I left one evening, one of the 2 information desks had already closed; with so few people staying late, it was easy to get photos of the main floor visitors' complex
The main entrance corridor going past Louvre museum shops and out to the Louvre shopping mall stores and Metro is behind the central support column.
Venus de Milo statues, sold at one of 2 Louvre museum gift shops, are a popular souvenir.
(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)
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