Hello there!
Having completed my earlier travel posts on several interesting countries, such as Japan, Maldives, Indonesia and US, it's probably time to share about my recent Europe trip! If you are keen to find out which countries and cities I visited, you can read the quick summary here.
There is actually a back story behind this trip. My friend and I planned this trip a few years back and it was supposed to take place in Apr 2020, but as most of you would know, Covid 19 pandemic came and we had to cancel the trip due to all the travel restrictions and health advisories. So we planned for this trip in 2025 and it finally materialised!
Documenting all my entries for this 2025 Europe Trip:
Turkey - An Istanbul Adventure: From Blue Mosque to Bazaars
France - Exploring The Parisian Icons: Effiel Tower And Arc De Triomphe
After visiting the great Effiel Tower on the first day in Paris, we started our second day early with a short walk to Louvre Museum. Lourve Museum is a famous museum because most people are there to see the Mona Lisa portrait! I have seen photos online how crowded the place was and the long the queues were, and since I wasn't really an artsy person, I was fine just to explore the exterior of the museum and the surroundings.
We stayed near Opera area and this was one of majestic buildings near our hotel. It's the Palais Garnier, which is an opera house. Just look at the architecture, how grand it looked!
Saw this interesting poster/advertisement plastered across a building, a little out of place because all the buildings were so historic looking and the poster looked modern.
It was early morning and there weren't much people or cars on the streets. Paris is actually quite walkable if you pick somewhere central to stay.
And here we were! The Louvre Museum!!! Even though I have seen this pyramid looking structure many times online, it was still very exciting to see it in real life! It's just a different feeling! After enjoying the view, I then realised the crowds that snaked around the entire museum.
I went closer and as you can see the queues were really, really, really long! I wonder how long these people had to queue before they can get in. I know there are people who wouldn't mind because after all, they have made the trip all the way here and some of them, like myself, have taken many hours of flight. But for me, I think it really depends on the situation, and I am not sure if it's worth me the hours of standing under the morning sun for this. Haha. What do you guys think?
So I just walked around and snapped photos of the surroundings. That's a little pyramid beside too.
The compound itself is actually quite relaxing to take in, with historic architecture and landscaped greenery. And it's interesting that the crowds were all at the corner and there weren't many people at this side.
Took this photo when I was standing directly across the Louvre Museum. Thought this angle looked great too.
Just beside the Louvre Museum, there is a garden called Jardin des Tuileries. At this entrance, there's another Arc. There were some visitors taking photos over here and we did the same.
And then we realised everyone was taking photos from this angle, so we blindly followed and then we saw what we were supposed to see!
In case you didn't catch it, here's the zoomed in version! Hehe!
The sun was rising and it was getting warmer in the morning. I noticed the garden had a lot of these statues. And I wonder if they had any significance.
There was also a fountain too. It's interesting that they providing benches beside the pond for people to just sit along the side and chill.
Finally, at the other end of the garden, there's another pond and there's an obelisk too. It's called Obélisque de Louxor. According to Google, the Luxor Obelisk is a symbol of the strong ties between Egypt and France.
And we spotted ducks too! Hehe!
So that summed up the morning trip to the Louvre Museum and Jardin des Tuileries. A pretty relaxing morning to take a stroll and wander around Paris to take in the sights. Of course, there are many more attractions and places of interest to explore in Paris, so see you in the next one!
So that's all I have today! Have you been to Paris or France? Let me know in the comments below!
Finally, thanks for reading my post in the community under World Map Pin!