May 16 Le Louvre
Our first stop was to order an engraved plaque for Ira that reads "L'architect ne travaille pas les apres-midis." It's kind of an inside joke. You could tell the woman at the counter was a bit puzzled, but she wasn't about to turn down a job. Then we took our favorite bus, the 72, to the Louvre.

We avoided the line at the Pyramide by going to the mall they have downstairs, buying a ticket from a machine, and sashaying through the line of people having their bags checked for explosives. Ira doesn't like the big entrance below the pyramid because it's crowded and noisy, but I kind of like the energy and the light that makes you feel on a mountaintop and not underground.

We just happened to walk into the room that houses the Mona LIsa. On the wall on the other side was our first stop, the Concert Champetre by Titian (with some help from Giorgione, most notably the nude female pouring water into the well). It's a wonderful, mysterious painting, clearly an inspiration to Manet for his Dejeuner sur l'Herbe. It's a calming painting as you try to unravel its secrets, just enough to get you through the next room, which as you can see from my commentary/photo, is not very relaxing. On the other side of this room is an enormous painting, the "Wedding at Cana," which was stolen from Venice by Napoleon. They made a meticulous photographic copy, which hangs in the rectory at San Giorgio Monastery and, frankly, I'd rather see the copy in its original setting than the original in this harried, too crowded setting.

We then made our way into the Grand Gallery, which is notable for many fine paintings, including four Leonardo's in a row. (The Madonna of the Rocks always attracts a crowd.) But it's more notable for its collection of Mantegnas, the finest outside Italy, and almost always lacking a crowd. The San Sebastian is brutal and dominating, the crucifixion scene is gruesome and illuminating, and everything Mantegna paints is a revelation. There are three canvases missing, but they are going to be in Tours, where we were planning a trip in any case. More on that later.

After the rigors of the walk up and down the Grand Gallerie, we only had time to admire the greek and roman statuary before walking to lunch. The statues there are glorious, though after Italy, not fundamental. I particularly liked the expression captured in the face in the photography I chose here.

Lunch was nearby, right next to Les Halles at a place called