Pictures from "Da Loover"

[posted by Amy]

It's just after midnight here, so I'm going to post a few photos instead of writing anything lengthy.

Forgot to post this picture yesterday - it's the staircase going down on the way out of the Arc de Triomphe. Spiral, of course!

We spent the afternoon at the Louvre today (fondly pronounced Loo-ver, like Hoover, to indicate our hick heritage). Here is the Venus de Milo, one of the "must sees" on everyone's tour.

A particularly lovely ceiling in one of the many rooms of the Louvre. Remember, kids, this used to be someone's home/palace.

The Winged Victory, which Rick Steves described as capable of "winning a wet t-shirt contest" or something equally crass like that. Her garments are rather clingy, I suppose...

A chandelier in the apartment of Napoléon III. This set of rooms was a lovely little find, thanks to Kate's curiosity. We enjoyed this part of the tour a lot, especially since there were far fewer people around this part.

A nifty looking - albeit impractical - chair in Napoléon III's sitting room.

We also saw the Mona Lisa, of course, but they don't allow photography in that room. (They just renovated, so if you have a picture of her, don't worry. You used to be allowed to take pictures of her without a flash.) The newly renovated room follows a common rule throughout the Louvre that didn't exist in 1990, in that they now forbid taking photos in certain rooms. No big deal, though. We got to see them!