Louvre must be on the bucket list for most of us;
after all it is amongst the largest museums in the world. Its iconic glass
pyramids, are probably the second most recognizable architecture in Paris. It
is where the famed Mona Lisa resides. And to be surrounded by over 35,000 pieces
of artworks and sculptures, is quite an exhilarating feeling.
So, when in Paris, I had budgeted an entire
day to spend there, much like everyone else I presume. After a couple of hours
of being inside Louvre, however, that initial euphoria began to give way to a
feeling of confusion and being lost.
You see, with 35,000 objects on display, you
get a little over two seconds per object, assuming you have 24 hours to view
the museum. However, the museum is open for just 12 hours and 45 minutes, even
on its longest days (i.e. Wednesday and Friday). That left me with less than a
second and a half to admire each masterpiece. So I wanted to pick my galleries
very carefully, and make sure I see all the “must-sees”.
Since all the walking and map reading was
taking its toll, I decided to take a coffee break. As I stood there a dim smile
grew on my face. I was not the only one facing this dilemma. Every where I
looked, I could see faces just as hurried and confused as I was; navigating
through their maps, to get to the next masterpiece on their must-see list.
Eugene Delacroix's masterpiece "Massacre of Chios" (top right corner) lost out to a map, in grabbing the man's attention
Special thanks to my wife Arti, whose map reading skills and sense of direction were invaluable.
