Day 4

The morning of Day 4 was a quiet and relaxing treat. With a late start, we all slipped out of bed and down to breakfast taking our time. After breakfast, we had a short walk to the Bastille Metro Station. The metro system in Paris is very fast, efficient and easy to use, so we arrived at the Louvre with plenty of time before our booking. We sat outside looking at the large glass pyramids and the old palace that wraps around the modern architecture. We entered the Louvre to find a very spacious hall with hundreds of people queuing for tickets. The Louvre is famous for housing the Mona Lisa, so we moved through the gallery quickly to find it. When we found the artwork, we battled with other visitors for a front row view and a picture. We wandered through the gallery drooling over artworks the art students had been studying in their Visual Art classes. We ended the visit with a trip to the gift shop where we were treated with overpriced merchandise featuring the Mona Lisa and other copies of artworks found within the gallery.

Continuing our art seeking mission, we caught the metro once again to the Musee de l'Orangerie. We found a Henry Moore sculpture out the front where we posed for photos with the reclining figure. This gallery was an impressionist gallery housing works by Paul Cezzane and Claude Monet. Claude Monet had a whole room dedicated to the large curved artworks of his garden and lily pond.

After this art filled day some decided to return to the hotel, while others made their way to the famous shopping strip of Galeries Lafayette. The boys shopped till they dropped. We had dinner in a local lane that had endless choices and cuisines. Time for day 5!

Highlights: Mona Lisa, Monet's Garden paintings, Galeries Lafayette