We visited the Louvre yesterday, not to see the Mona Lisa, but to sit outside at Café Marly, which resides on a wing of the Louvre. It’s perfect for a leisurely lunch looking out over the Pyramid.
It’s mind-blowing to think about what I.M. Pei accomplished when asked to contribute a design. If one looked out over the area, sans pyramid, and considered what should be there, it seems the likely result would be something staid.
Pei thought way outside the box and his idea fits perfectly. Instead of creating a formal stuffy area, it seems a fun, democratic place to just hang out, as thousands do on breaks between exhibits. And, it's beautiful.
As night approaches, the area becomes even more interesting. Here one can just see the Eiffel Tower peaking out from the edge of one wing of the Louvre. We hadn’t noticed it until the lights started going on.
The smart photographers showed up with tripods to capture what will be crisp, beautiful photos. Me, I just shot handheld and even forgot that I could lower the aperture setting from f4 to f2.8. Grrrr. I must have lost my edge to that bottle of wine at Café Marly. Still, the beauty comes across.
