We got up at the inconceivably early time of 7:30, which gave us enough time to hit the snooze button a few times, eat some breakfast, and a make the 30 minute walk to the Louvre. The sun wasn’t even up yet, and we were supposed to be? Inconceivable. On our walk, we saw children being walked to school by their parents. What kind of maniacs make their kids get up that early?
Our sacrifice paid off though. Getting to the Louvre at 9:00 made us some of the first people of the day. We were able to avoid most crowds. A Rick Steves’ audio guide brought us quickly around some of the more prominent exhibits, and we really had no problem seeing them.
First up was the Venus de Milo. From some research the night before, it sounded like there was scholarly debate around what year it was created, and who it’s supposed to depict. Either way, it’s understood to be at least 2100 years old. It was incredible to see the artistry and detail already present in something that old.
We continued through the museum, stopping at Winged Victory, which was one of Jessie’s favorites. From there, we went to see possibly the most famous resident, the Mona Lisa. With barely a line, we got to stand and enjoy the painting for a second.
After a number of stops rounded out our guided audio tour, we set off to the Richeliue wing to see the Code of Hammurabi, notable as a very early codification of a legal code, written over 3500 years ago. It’s where we get such fun phrases as “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (from “If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.”, and “If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out.”), as well as such classics as “If during a quarrel one man strike another and wound him, then he shall swear, “I did not injure him wittingly,” and pay the physicians.”.
We found a few different sphinxes too. The ancient Babylonian had better facial hair.
Not a sphinx, but I’m very excited to see my cats when I get home. This guy gets it. 
After admiring the more contemporary works (1800s) by French sculptors, we decided that we had had enough. We walked back to our neighborhood, and found a place in our neighborhood for lunch. We ended up at a burger place, which was the first American restaurant we ate at on this trip!
To finish up the evening we did a small tour of Rue Cler, a pedestrian only market street right near our stay, stopping for a hot chocolate.
You guys are staying in a great location, AGAIN, it seems! So glad you got to the Louvre early with less crowds!!!!
Thanks for the awesome photos and explanations! So incredibly preserved all these years! Love Ray’s explanation of the thoughts of the ancients regarding their kitties….time doesn’t change some things! 😉