Thursday, January 31, 2019

Museums in Paris: Musée du Louvre #1

What do you do on a cold January day in Paris?  

One option is visiting the well-heated Louvre art museum, which is what we did.  

The Louvre is big--very, very big--with much to see.  So, the first thing we did was purchase annual passes.  We are now Amis du Louvre (Friends of the Louvre), which means we can visit as often as we wish and, most importantly, skip the regular entrance line.  

We plan to see as much of the Louvre as possible, in many small doses.  

During our first visit, we saw a few well-known works of art.  

Venus de Milo:
About 100 B.C.

Winged Victory:
About 190 B.C.


La Joconde (the Mona Lisa):

By Leonardo da Vinci (1503)
With much more to see, we are looking forward to many return visits to the Louvre.

P.S.  You are welcome to join us.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Questions about Year 4 (#1)

Before Year 4 began here in Paris, friends and family asked us many questions.  

One typical question was: "Why are you starting your year in Paris during the winter cold of January?  Wouldn't Springtime in Paris be a better time to begin Year 4?  

That's a good question.  

The answer is we ended our time in D.C. in December and were eager to begin the next chapter.  Unfortunately, that meant arriving in Paris in the middle of winter.  As we walked out of the airport in Paris, we instantly started to rethink our decision.  Despite our wearing heavy winter clothing, the cold chilled us to the bone.  We asked each other whose idea was it to arrive during winter.  

Our timing was questioned again the day after we arrived when it snowed overnight.  Thankfully, the snow was not thick and didn't accumulate very much.

Some random hottie enjoys some snow in the Tuileries.
We could avoid cold weather during each part of the 10 Year Plan by visiting each city only during warm months.  While that idea is appealing, we know we would miss so much that each city has to offer--seasonal events of all sorts, temporary exhibitions, the opera/ballet/symphony seasons, etc.  We would also miss the seasonal beauty of each city--like snow falling on the City of Lights.  So, here are in the cold, enjoying all that Paris has to offer.

P.S.  One advantage of Paris in winter is the absence of throngs of tourists.  Visiting museums and other locations will be more enjoyable.  

Next Up:  Speaking of museums, let's visit The Louvre.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Year 4: Pop Quiz #1

Bonjour du Paris.

Not far from our apartment is the tall, weathered bronze column that is pictured below.


For 100 points, identify the column.

For 50 bonus points, identify the dude standing on top of the column.

Please send us your answers.  We will share the most amusing answers in a future blog post.


Monday, January 28, 2019

Start of Year 4

Today marks the start of Year 4 of The 10 Year Plan.  Since it is Year 4, then we must be in Paris.

Greetings from Paris!  Salut de Paris!

We arrived today and moved into our apartment.  We were exhausted from jet lag and took a short nap.  Afterward, we walked a short distance to the Louvre and Tuileries.  It was a cold,windy day and the chilly air felt wonderful as did our long walk in the Tuileries.  

Here are some photos from our first day in Paris.  

A view of the Louvre from the Tuilieries
The Tuileries
 
A view of the Eiffel Tower from the Tuileries

Some random hottie with a sense of humor, standing in front of Comedie in the Tuileries


Some random dude
Thanks for returning to our blog for Year 4.  We hope to enjoy and share many sights and adventures during Year 4.  We hope you find some of the posts amusing.