The Louvre is one of maybe 3 museums on the planet I have ever revisited.  It is full of glorious works and it’s impossible to see the entire thing in under roughly 6 days because of its sheer size.  The vastness of the collections will tingle any art or history cockles you may have and I absolutely recommend getting their audio guide.  It is ridiculously detailed and also on reformatted Nintendo DSes(how do you pluralize that?).

Now onto the meat of the issue.  The Mona Lisa, specifically the room to view it, is stupid.  The atmosphere is chaotic, crowded, and undeserving.  I respect the Mona Lisa and think it’s a great painting but I also firmly believe it is only famous because it’s famous.  It’s a vicious cycle.   One of it’s fascinating features would be seeing its eyes follow you across the room but…you know…good luck testing that…

The only way to get roughly 30 seconds of time with the painting would be to get to the Louvre at opening and b-line to the painting.  You won’t be the only one with this plan but the room will be less crowded depending on your fitness level.  For reference, I did that my first time in Paris, here’s the type of photo you can get with that commitment.

My suggestion, go see the painting, then immediately move on after checking out the equally impressive(if not more) paintings in the room.  Check it of the list and spend more time in the Italian Art section.  My first trip was almost completely spent there.

Anyone researching The Louvre will be well aware of this issue but my opinion is it needs to be continuously mentioned.  Perhaps a process similar to what they do in Milan for the Last Supper painting could work better here where you purchase tickets for a scheduled time.  Though I could see that selling out months in advance.  Anyway, I’m just here to post this cool style pic.

FINE YOU CAUGHT ME THIS WHOLE POST WAS TO BRING ATTENTION TO MY AMAZING SHIRT