Art Galore

Day three saw us at the Louvre. The weather in Paris had turned cold and snowy, so we entered the Louvre via the Metro where some buskers serenaded the crowds.  I should have bought their CD.
 The Louvre - what can I say! It was awesome. Jesse and I prowled the corners and saw all that we could.  After hitting the highlights, Cousin Barbara, knowing that we would take way to long in our exploration, went shopping in the mall outside the underground entrance to the Louvre. There's nothing like being in Paris with two art geeks - but Barbara was a trooper and very indulgent with us. Seeing the  Mona Lisa was great, although there was not much getting up close and personal with her due to the glass surrounding the painting and the crowds gawking.  All the paintings were interesting to see, but they were very much like the paintings we saw in Florence. I love seeing the masters, but religious paintings can be monotonous.  It is the sculpture that I find amazing. This piece caught my eye - reminded me of my dog, Jack the red heeler, licking the babies toes. 

There was no lack of naked men.
I think Jesse's favorite part was the Oceania and Americas - work from the Mayan and Aztec years, because that is what she is studying in Art History right now. She took lots of pics, but I did not.

Eventually we made our way back to the designated meeting place to find Barbara and have a drink. Once again, I chose a beer over wine. I guess I was in a mood to gulp rather than sip. On our way home we saw this trash truck and took a pic for Toby. Jesse doctored hers with her app and made it more interesting than mine.
The next day saw more snow. Barbara chose to stay home while Jesse and I headed to the Mus'ee d'Orsay. Now here was a museum that I could spend hours in - and we did. I love the Reniors, the Degas, the Monets, etc. We had lunch in the funky museum cafe before continuing our exploration of the art. Then we did a bit of exploring on our way home in the snow. This was near le Invalides. Later that evening we walked to a little cafe for crepes and pear cider. The snow was thick on the streets and coming down hard - it was beautiful.