PARIS!!: Musee du Louvre, Cupid's Kiss and the secret of the Notre Dame...

Our flight from Rome to Paris was uneventful despite the heat in the terminal in Rome. We gathered our bags and met our driver. He was a younger man and quickly walked us to his nice Lexus sedan. How we were going to fit the four of us and our luggage was a mystery. After shoving, pushing and squeezing we were on our way.

On the way he mentioned that there was a Taxi driver strike, we were lucky to have booked a transfer ahead of time as many were stranded at the airport. After that he was quiet and drove fast although Mason was sitting on my lap, Hannah's knees were in her face and no access to seatbelts.

We took a quick turn and abruptly stopped, he pointed at our hotel, unloaded our bags and sped off. What the heck? It was strange but we realized that his behavior was mostly due to the strike. Well that's we determined. From the curb we pulled our bags to the hotel.

Our hotel is amazing! Fantastic location, great size with a perfect kitchenette. We set our bags down and went to discover Paris and our little neighborhood. Our neighborhood is just that, a cobblestone neighborhood containing shops, a bookstore, and tons of restaurants and the post office is nearby. We enjoyed a marvelous dinner with superb service and headed for bed.

The next day we walked to the Louvre Museum. The Louvre has a very detailed and fantastical past -- from originating as a fortress with moat and drawbridge, to a chateau, palace, and lastly a museum. We got to view the moat and fortress walls that were covered up by its many transformations and later discovered while adding on to the museum. It was fascinating walking through such a historical past. Again, we had an amazing guide and walked through the moat to the many anticipated sites to see in the Louvre.

We saw so many things but a few stood out. One was the Winged Victory of Samothrace (a.k.a. Nike of Samothrace) -- the same Nike, Goddess of Victory, that caught Hannah's attention in the Forum in Rome. The Goddess who accompanied Titus and reminded him that he is still mortal despite his God-like victory. It is a beautiful statue and speaks louder than most we have seen because her wings are absolutely dynamite. She was found in a grotto/cave in Samothrace and her creator is unknown.

The second was, of course, the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Now most everyone knows this famous piece and walking up to it, amongst hundreds of her adoring fans, she sits in a small frame against a huge wall and I couldn't help but wonder why? Why is she such a big deal? There are many myths and speculations but three that were interesting to me are 1). she was kept in Leonardo's possession until his death, hence making her a more desirable, but what was it about her that Leonardo couldn't part with? 2). Her face resembles that of Leonardo's (supposed) young male lover. 3). It is the first portrait painting of his that the person's face is not completely profile -- Mona Lisa is seated more forward. No matter what, her mystery alludes her and it was fun to see. Even the spectacle of shoving, elbowing onlookers.
  
We walked through many vast, glorious and eclectic halls and Hannah and Mason were fading until we saw and heard of Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss. A beautiful statue that isn't massive in size and its delicate detail catches one's attention. However, the story of it is even more powerful. Psyche is instructed by Cupid's mother Venus, Goddess of Beauty, to retrieve a flask from the Underworld but told Psyche not to open it. Psyche gets the flask but defies her instructions and opens it thusly falling into a deathlike sleep. Cupid with his wings and quiver rushes to her rescue and lifts her to kiss him as she embraces his face. The God's grant permission for Cupid and Psyche to marry and she becomes immortal and the Goddess of the Soul. Hannah loved this sculpture and story.

Our day at the Louvre was out-of-this-world amazing and we definitely didn't have enough time there to see it all!! Pretty sure if we went to one more museum, we'd have a mutiny on our hands!!

The next day we slept in, enjoyed some home cooked food and then slowly walked to the Notre Dame. Paris is so, so, so beautiful and its history oozes from every gorgeous corner. We crossed the wide, famous Seine river on our way.

We reached the Notre Dame and it was as spectacular as I had hoped. The only unexpected thing was that it was closed. UGH! Another monument closed but I didn't let it deter me. I still got to see it and take many photos, especially of the famous gargoyles -- they are freakishly scary. In addition to the looming gargoyles there is a not-so-known secret laying in front of the Notre Dame, Le Point Zero. 

Le Point Zero is a brass star marker that marks the exact center of the city -- point zero; from which all geographic measurements of France are based upon. This marker is walked upon every year, unknowingly, by thousands and its location became our search! We walked in front of the Notre Dame searching for it and finally found it not too far from the front doors. It was a fun twist to our adventure.

Our first two days in Paris have been incredible and looking forward to more sightseeing and EATING!!

As always, to be continued...