Sunday, May 17, 2009

Nuit des Musees



Last night was a Europe-wide event, called "Nuit des Musees" in France. All over Paris, and in cities all over Europe, museums opened their doors for free in the evening. I love how Europe has so many cultural events such as these -- they really encourage people to come see art and cultural artifacts, and give everyone the opportunity to experience all the exhibits. In Paris, hundreds of places were open, but we chose to go to the Louvre, because at night it is simply exquisite.





We arrived at about 10:30, and wandered the halls until midnight. We started in the Egyptian exhibit, and then moved on through Ancient Greece and Rome, and then the Classical period. It was really cool to see these rooms at night, because all the statues and artifacts were lit by only the indoor lighting, and the windows were dark except for the lights of the building coming in. We saw sarcophagi, an actual mummy, mummified cats and animals, and then statues and busts and masks from the Ancient Greek and Roman period, not to mention a plethora of other statues and bronzes. It was so incredible. I've been to the Louvre several times before, but coming at night like this, all dressed up, felt so glamorous, and made everything even more exciting to see!



(really excited about the mummy)





At midnight everyone was shooed out, and on the way out we passed the Winged Nike, my favorite part of the museum. Outside it was raining gently, and the Louvre and Pyramid were lit up...it was a gorgeous experience!




Pictures on the right in an album!

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