From Versailles, we returned to Paris for a trip to the Louvre. Mario, the worst tour guide ever, actually suggested we bypass the greatest museum in the world to go back to the perfume factory museum. We told him to shove it. We also found a gluten-free creperie in the same arrondissement as the Louvre, so we ate there for lunch. Their crepes are made from buckwheat and are quite delicious. It was a great find. In between the Louvre and the creperie, we happened across the grave of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, a French Huguenot whose murder kickstarted the St. Bartholomew’s Massacre of 1572.
Back to the Louvre. The grounds have a nice garden and plenty of places to sit and enjoy the views of Paris. You can also stand on one of a set of concrete blocks in front of the Pryamid to get that perfect touristy photo. The Pyramid, I.M Pei’s study in contrasts between the grandeur of a former palace with the starkness of glass and steel and entrance to the museum, may be the hottest building I have ever been in. Luckily, you don’t spend tons of time in it to enter the museum. Be sure to navigate your way through the shopping center under the museum to find the bottom of the pyramid. The light refracts and reflects beautiful prism rainbows in the area.
