Days 2 & 3 - Parisian Celebrities

It's Saturday evening as I write this entry. I've done so many things to this point that they're impossible to accurately communicate with the one hour I have on the internet.

Yesterday I spent the entire day at the Louvre. The building and grounds alone are worth the trip. I took in the Ancient Egyptian exhibit which led right into an exhibition of Greek and Roman antiquities. Educational, enlightening and visually spectacular. It was so fantastic it will be it's own entry.

The Star of the Louvre
I ended the day by visiting the first lady of Paris: The Mona Lisa. She is unequivocally the Paris Hilton of Paris because when you see her you can't help but ask: "Why is she so famous?".

The Mona Lisa is in a wing of the Louvre devoted to large Italian Masterpieces. The crowd is so frenzied to see that smirk that the masses are roped off 2 stories below to control the flow of fans. I waited for about 10 minutes behind velvet ropes (would you expect anything else to see Ms. Hilton?), while others had been there for 20 minues prior. When the attendant gets the OK to let people in (yes through a South Beach/LA official doorman's headset), the masses sprint up the stairs with cameras in hand like papparazzi!

And as they charge there's a frenzied buzz about the crowd. Here's the funny thing: After you turn the second set of stairs you enter a hall which then leads to the room with Ms. Hilton. This hall is about 50 yards long with a 70 ft. high arched ceiling. The room, from floor to apex, is painted Blood Red. An intensely dramatic sight. The drama is heightened by the enormous and beautiful Italian paintings that dominate the space on all levels. The bloody paint color and the beauty of the paintings halt the paparazzi. They take in the sights with genuine amazement. Heads roll back, forth, up and down. Then about halfway through the room the crowd realizes: "Paris Hilton's in the next room!!!" and they go apeshit again and sprint the rest of the way to the Mona Lisa.

As you turn the corner to see it you cannot helped to be underwhelmed - but everyone crowds around nonetheless. I glance briefly but can't believe this homely Italian woman seduces 6 million visitors per year. My dissapointment is reversed when I turn my attention to a painting directly opposite Ms Hilton. It is of the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus is believed to have performed his first miracle of turning water into wine. It's the largest painting in the Louvre - probably 40 ft long by 30 ft high. There are 130 people in the painting and the size and vibrancy of the colors captivate you - unless of coure you're too entranced by Ms. Hilton. There are dozens of equally impressive works throughout this area, but they all are reduced to second billing as the queen of hype undeservedly dominates the attention of the masses.

In keeping with my "Access Hollywood" theme, if the Mona Lisa is Paris Hilton then the Eiffel Tower is Britney Spears. I got there about 2 this afternoon. I got up close and was not inspired enough to wait in line for 2 hours to climb the stairs. Instead I walked to the Arc de Triomphe. It was built in the early 1800's and was to be modeled after Roman architecture. The grand scale and ornate details clearly hit their mark. However, it's true worth was realized when I climbed to the top. Unobstructed views of Paris in all directions. These views were spectacular in the setting afternoon sun. Morever, as darkness fell on Paris the "City of Lights" & "The World's Most Beautiful City" were revealed.

After a lengthy photo session, I walked down the Champs Elysees. While this area is widely panned by the Paris purists, I really enjoyed it. It's arrow-straight for about a mile and deadends into the semi-famous Ferris Wheel. The sidewalks are expansive - probably 30 ft across on both sides - and the streets equally oversized. This grand vista allows the Champs Elysees to reveal herself to you; while can't help but take in the lights and sights of the shops calling to you in your periphery. The hum of the crowd and the variety of street traffic noises make for a delightful symphony that serve as the soundtrack to the wonderful visual stimulus.

Beyond the Ferris Wheel I continued my walk back to the hotel along the Seine. For about 2 hours I snapped photos of beautifully lit buildings and bridges along the way. In my rear view mirror was my friend from earlier in the day - TheEiffel Tower. She was all illuminated from base to crown. And this is why she is Britney Spears: up close she was not a pretty sight, but from a distance - and all dressed up in the evening light - she was beautiful.