Pouring with rain this morning, including thunder and lightening. Funny thing no water in the apartment as they are doing repairs.
What to do on a rainy Monday, well most of the museums are are closed except for the Louvre. So off we go, including, it appears, every other tourist in Paris.
In November or May visiting the Louvre is quite wonderful, in the Summer it is, if you don't like crowds, awful. Everyone heads for the Denon wing to see the Mona Lisa!!! In winter you can stand in front of the Mona Lisa and look at it for minutes. This time there were hundreds of people between you and the painting. When it is less crowded they enforce the no photo rule in this area, but impossible to enforce with the crowds!!!! The staff must hate to have to work in the summer months!! We didn't want to be in this area except for Mary wishing to see a few paintings in this room.
After lunch, eating a baguette while sitting on the Louvre floor, we headed to the Richelieu wing to see the French sculptures in the two courtyards. Suddenly there was room and not very many people. No tour groups of fifty people!!!! It was quite wonderful. After that to the Napoleon III apartments, once again no crowds here. Our Louvre visit started with crowds, pushing and shoving, but ended with a few positive hours.
After the Louvre a walk through Les Halles, stop at E. Dehillerin (cooking supply store) and St-Eustache. The sculpture in front of the church has been vandalized with graffiti, so very sad.
Kept walking and went into Leroy Merlin, a home renovation store. Very interesting to see the equivalent of a Home Depot.
After back to the apartment to have high-priced italian takeout.
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