Yes!
I must admit that the first time I went to Paris, I HAD to see the Mona Lisa.
My mates and I hopped the Metro and exited the Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre station (line 1). We knew that it
would be crazy and we were right.
We got to the Louvre early, and did our best
NOT to be distracted by the art vendors just outside the Louvre arches selling
paintings and artwork. We did NOT enter
the main entrance near the glass pyramids. Most people don’t realize the
Louvre, in fact, has MANY side entrances.
We found a nice uncrowded side
entrance that even had an escalator. We
waited in line for all of about 2 minutes and entered the amazing Louvre!
Our main goal was the Mona
Lisa! We hurried in and began our power walk up lots of staircases and ran
toward each sign that had her picture pointing ‘Mona Lisa this way.”
Not surprising, as you may guess, when we finally reached
her, we entered her display room with over a hundred other guests who had the
same idea. I am so happy that I had my Nikon D5200 camera with my 200m zoom lens!
This was perfect for us to snap a selfie of us with her in this pic - can you see her?:
Here are my favorite fun facts about the Mona Lisa from Mentalfloss:
Whats' in a Name?
I did not know her name was not Mona Lisa! Her name was in fact Lisa Gherardini. Her husband paid to have her painting created. Her name roughly translates to 'My Lady Lisa.'
She's Small & Priceless
The oil on wood panel painting measures 30x21 inches. My hubby thought she was more like an 8x10! In the 1960s she had an insurance valuation at $100 million dollars. But the policy was not taken out because the premiums were more than the cost of the security.
Her eyebrows or Lack Of
DaVinci acutally painted eyebrows and eyelashes. But through the years these faded with time.
She's a Heart Breaker
Her painting was first displayed in 1815 at the Louvre. In the past, men have killed themselves due to being in love with her painting. She is the subject of countless songs and poems. This makes ME want to write a poem about her!
She's in the Prettiest Prison
The room at the Louvre is climate controlled and her image is encased in bulletproof glass. In the past, someone threw acid at her painting and someone threw a souvenir at her for not being allowed French citizenship!
Whats' in a Name?
I did not know her name was not Mona Lisa! Her name was in fact Lisa Gherardini. Her husband paid to have her painting created. Her name roughly translates to 'My Lady Lisa.'
She's Small & Priceless
The oil on wood panel painting measures 30x21 inches. My hubby thought she was more like an 8x10! In the 1960s she had an insurance valuation at $100 million dollars. But the policy was not taken out because the premiums were more than the cost of the security.
Her eyebrows or Lack Of
DaVinci acutally painted eyebrows and eyelashes. But through the years these faded with time.
She's a Heart Breaker
Her painting was first displayed in 1815 at the Louvre. In the past, men have killed themselves due to being in love with her painting. She is the subject of countless songs and poems. This makes ME want to write a poem about her!
She's in the Prettiest Prison
The room at the Louvre is climate controlled and her image is encased in bulletproof glass. In the past, someone threw acid at her painting and someone threw a souvenir at her for not being allowed French citizenship!
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