Sennen's questions came like rapid cannon fire. By the time we even got in the line for 1:30 reservations, my head was spinning and I had a headache. I shouldn't have been surprised that a place like the Louvre could spark so much curiosity, but I hadn't imagined that just the outside would require a rapid-fire couple-of-hundred years of history lesson that encompassed Francois I through Louis XIV with a major stop at Catherine de Medici and the transition from the Valois to the Bourbon dynasty. Why? Because in order to understand something as big and regal as the Louvre Palace, Sennen needed to understand who decided to build it (Francois I) and why just a few generations later, the monarchy had re-centered on Versailles.
Luckily we arrived at the Louvre almost 45 minutes early, giving us time to explore the exterior of the palace, take photos – and running through a crash-course history lesson. The plaques saying Francois I ordered the palace built and Catherine de Medici (his mother – as well as the mother of the two subsequent kings) completed the Tuileries sparked the conversation and was furthered by the statues of France's courtiers, statesmen and great thinkers lining the exterior of the palace.
By the time we entered the Pyramid and descended to the entrance plaza, Sennen was excited to see some 16th Century art. Ailyn was quite clear that she needed to see the Mona Lisa – or La Joconde as it's called in French. It is the most touristy thing to do and I remember a time when I felt I was too good to beeline for the Mona Lisa. Traveling with kids has changed my standards and outlook completely. There's only so much time before they wear out and the Mona Lisa is what Ailyn needed to walk away with. We joined the crowds and went – only with a brief accidental detour through the sculptures and objets d'art in the Richelieu wing – which suited Sennen perfectly well.
I felt a certain pain entering the Denon wing and rushing through the sculptures to get to our "destination". As we came face to face with two Michelangelo's, I had to stop and explain to the kids what was right in front of us and how incredible that was. It registered with Ailyn, though she didn't want to give the sculptures the time and attention they were due – and Sennen was too focused on getting to our target to care. I looked around and realized 85 percent of people were quickly bypassing these extraordinary objects just as we were doing.
Onward and upward through a narrow, curved staircase we made our way to the juncture of British and Italian paintings, hanging a left through the Italian hall and speeding past half. dozen or so Raphaels to get our time with La Joconde. It was obvious as we approached her gallery what was there: The Mona Lisa surrounded by an everlasting paparazzi. There are a dozen or so other great works in her room, but she gets all the attention with devotees from China to Nantucket all photographing and videoing her in unruly hoardes.
Ailyn was as overjoyed as if Taylor Swift showed up to her birthday party. Like everyone else, she needed a clean shot of the painting, but also a good view and some shots of she and Mona Lisa together. We did it all. Sennen, on the other hand, was surprised at how small the painting was, appreciated how it looked and then – almost as if in protest against the spectacle – wanted to spend time with the other paintings in the gallery.
After everyone got what they needed from gallery 711, we decided passing back through the Italian paintings, we would move slower and actually look at the many great works – especially those that caught our eye. I told the kids I had been the Louvre several times before – so we could stop at whatever they wanted to see. Fortunately for me, they had discerning eyes for Raphaels and Veroneses.
By this point, I could see the energy draining from the kids – especially Ailyn whose leg still hurt from her spills yesterday. We took a few rests between paintings, made it through the British and the beginning of the French paintings – had some excellent discussions about Rococo and Romantic movements – as well as what separated the 19th century works in the Louvre from those of the same period in the d'Orsay – and then called it a day. I explained to Sennen that many people get multi-day passes to the museums of Paris because it's impossible to see everything they have to offer – and staying too long can leave you saturated. Coming back and taking "bites" of art allows for more appreciation. We all decided that we would need to return to the Louvre another time – because there was just so much left undone.
"Was this all really for one man and his family? How does anyone need a palace this large? And how did they get ALL this art here?!" Sennen asked.
"I don't know – but it's a palace full of art. A lot of it was already there as part of the king's collection."
He'll be thinking about the Louvre – both as palace and museum – for months to come.
After coming out of the Louvre, it only made sense to grab a quick snack at the Christmas Market in the Tuileries and then take the short walk to the Place Vendome. As we passed along some of Paris' highest end, high fashion streets, Ailyn took it all in while Sennen wanted to understand why it was so necessary to have so many brands – and why is there Christian Dior and Dior – why not just one brand? To Ailyn's ears, that seemed silly. She loved it all. And as we entered the Place Vendome, Ailyn took in all the top fashion houses there and the fancy cars and drivers parked in front of each – while Sennen admired the memorial column to Napoleon. This is the Parisian dichotomy of my kids.
The last stop of the day is one I had been promising Sennen for awhile: the Rue Cler – a pedestrian-only street near Les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower. The Rue Cler is sometimes featured in travel shows and blogs for its almost picture-perfect collection of shops that make for an ideal Parisian life: produce shops, an artisan cheese store, a couple of butchers, a fishmonger, a couple of bakeries, some charcuteries, chocolatiers, gelaterias and six or seven cafes with both creative and classic menus.
We needed to pick up an extra bag to haul home some our – mostly Ailyn's – gains from the trip, and there is a small cheap luggage shop on the Rue Cler. We found a very affordable rolling duffel that can make a nice carryon – which brought Ailyn much relief. Ailyn was also set on buying a cheese her favorite playground aide at school likes. The fromagerie had it, but I told Ailyn I have no idea how we can successfully get it home. Ailyn wants to try a ziplocks and ice. I told her it may be a total failure – but what the hell…. And of course, after walking the street, appreciating its charm and Sennen enjoying the fishmonger – we found a charming cafe for our second-to-last dinner of the trip.
The kids were tired – my phone shows we did more than 15,000 steps today. Yet we had one of the nicest dinner conversations of the trip discussing what we like about France, why none of us are ready for it to end, what makes a good quality of life, what we expect in the year ahead, how we're all doing with the changes in our lives and why we make each other happy. It was lovely. As apparently was the ribeye Sennen couldn't stop raving about.
These times with the three of us together, sharing the world are the best. I'm grateful for every minute – and every kiss I get or steal, knowing one day this kind of intimacy won't be available anymore. Today, they are both still children and they have all the time and willingness to share time and appreciate what we do and see. I feel the clock ticking. And I honestly and fully enjoy the people they are and the people they are becoming.
Tomorrow will be our final hours – the last full day. It will also be Versailles -which while later in the trip than I might have liked seems like a good fit after the Louvre. What could Sennen want to know about Louis XIV and the court at Versailles? EVERYTHING. That's alright – I'm ready for him. I know my Versailles right down to the rare hybrid carp-pirhanna hybrid in the river of the Hameau. It'll be a great final day.
