on walking in the rain in the jardin des tuileries after a visit to the louvre

On the day I went to the Louvre Museum it rained. I had not planned it that way, that is, first checking the weather forecasts.

Generally, I think museums should be visited during inclement weather, especially in Paris. I can afford to reserve those rainy days for the museums, because I am in Paris for longer periods than the typical visitor.

However, and I am contradicting myself, I do not stay in a museum for much longer than two hours, maybe three. So, I am eventually outside in the rain, sleet, snow anyway that day.

Because I am in Paris for longer periods than is typical, I can afford to visit the Louvre or the Musée d’Orsay or other popular museums for two to three hours; I can always return another day.

But, saying all that, I would still visit those museums for two to three hours anyway, even if I had only a few days in Paris. They are exhausting, and after a period of time, let’s say two to three hours, what I see later, if I stay longer, becomes a blur and the people begin to push more and the rooms begin to look more like mazes than exhibits.

As I mentioned, I went to the Louvre the other day and it rained. Before going to the Louvre or any other large museum, such as the Musée d’Orsay, I plan the visit. I look at the weather conditions, and hope for the worst. (Well, not really.)  (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.)

For example, my favorite rooms lately at the Louvre, the red rooms, are those that exhibit the large, very large paintings of Géricault, Delacroix, and David. Think big with Le Radeau de la Méduse or La Liberté guidant le peuple or Sacre de l’empereur Napoléon 1 et couronnement de l’impératrice Joséphine dans la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, le 2 décembre 1804.

I went through a period when I wanted to look at all the portraits done by Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun. She was the favorite of Marie Antoinette, painting more than 30 portraits of the queen and her family.  (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.)

On this day, when it rained, I looked at big paintings and looked for the portraits done by Madame Le Brun.

Typically, when I am near the Louvre, I will wonder to the Jardin du Palais Royal. It is tranquil, often blocking out the noises from the streets, and it is where until her death Colette lived in an apartment. For sentimental reasons I pass by the plaque honoring her, much like I do when visiting the Cimetière du Père Lachaise and the Cimetière du Montparnasse where I pay hommage to some favorite writers.  (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.)

Passing through the Jardin and to the north are some streets and a passage with some restaurants where I like to eat when I am in the quartier.  (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.)

I might have eaten at Le Grand Véfour, a famous restaurant with a tradition that dates back the to the early 19th century, but the menu for that day did not appeal to me.

I chose Bistrot Vivienne, and saved Le Grand Véfour for another day. Bistrot Vivienne is my favorite kind of place, an old-style bistrot with wood panelling and good dishes, and it is popular with the French, which is a bonus.  (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.)

After lunch it was a good time to walk into the Jardin des Tuileries. The rain had stopped, before it would start again.  (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.)