The Louvre is such an impressive museum. First, it is huge! After we entered (we had a pass so there was very little line), there were four choices for exploration and we chose the Denon wing to see Spanish paintings. First we strolled through Greek and Egyptian artifacts; went up a floor and saw the Winged Victory; marveled at decorative arts from many different centuries–delicate etched vases, heavy pottery and beautiful pieces of jewelry; and finally found the Italian paintings (never did come across Spanish paintings). The room where the Mona Lisa is behind glass and a throng of people is our favorite room. Paintings by Titian and his contemporaries abound. We found it interesting that the same dogs are in many of the paintings by several artists; they must have shared the spaces and models. I have several favorites in this room, but today I found a new favorite; Titian’s painting titled, “Man with a Glove” is so realistic. I could see the veins and small muscles and tendons in the ungloved hand. The glare was awkward in a photo of this painting but I’ll post what I have. Photographs never capture the true beauty of anything and this painting is widely considered on of the best renaissance portraits of the day. 
We strolled through the Italian paintings in this wing of the museum and decided to seek a late lunch before returning to the hotel. It was a bitter cold day; obvious by this photo of the Seine from the Pont du Neuf with the Eiffel Tower barely visible in the distance.
Wandering through Paris as we’ve done for these past few days made me more aware of the similarities and differences between Paris and New Orleans. The Seine and the Mississippi are vastly different, but their respective roles in the success of the cities are much the same. Some of the streets in both New Orleans and Paris follow the river, many are one way, and even some of the names are the same in Paris as in New Orleans. Where I find New Orleans beautiful sometimes, the parts of Paris where I’ve been are all beautiful and interesting.
Dinner tonight was at Au Bon Actueil (a good reception), a small very French restaurant near the foot of the Eiffel Tower. The food was superb, the service excellent and the view entering and exiting (lit up!) the restaurant of the Eiffel Tower was a treat!
We walked as close as we could get to the Tower, watched the sightseeing cars go up and down, and waited for the lights to twinkle. It was really awesome.
Our last beautiful day and evening in Paris for awhile…
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