Louvre – Eat and Drink Like A European

“When is the best time to travel in Europe?” Great question! I think the answer is “whenever you can!”

I am often asked about the merits of travelling in Europe during the so-called “shoulder” season as opposed to “high” season. Shoulder season is often defined loosely as spring and autumn, and high season as summer. The obvious benefit of summer travel is the likelihood of good weather. The apparent benefit of shoulder season is the likelihood of smaller crowds. However, over the last decade, so many people have heeded the recommendation for shoulder season travel that the crowds have pretty much evened out, meaning that there isn’t really a “high” season anymore. I don’t mean to say that you’re going to see the same amount of people in St. Mark’s Square in January as you will see in July – but really, from March to October you are never going to find yourself alone riding the elevator up the Eiffel Tower, viewing the crown jewels in the Tower of London, or wandering through the Sistine Chapel. I still read this recommendation in travel articles and wonder if the author has ever been to Venice in March or Vienna in October!

Early morning in St. Mark’s Square – crowd free!

So unless you want to brave the probability of poor weather in the winter for the sake of more elbow room at the Louvre, you are going to be travelling in Europe with lots of other people. But if you plan well, you can avoid the pitfalls of the tourist season. For example, it is good to know that many of the big box tour operators bring their huge busloads of tourists to the Palace of Versailles about an hour after it opens. Arrive early and get in first (with a reservation of course) and you’ll have the first hour or so to enjoy the uncrowded rooms of Louis’ XIV’s pleasure palace with just a few other smart travelers. Most of these big tour groups are gone by mid to late afternoon, so arrive later and you get the same experience. Another crowd-beating tip is to understand that Venice is inundated with day-trippers from about 10 AM to 4 PM, most of whom are either coming in from mainland hotels that the big box tour companies use or from cruise ships in port for the day. The key is to stay in Venice proper, and take advantage of the early morning / late afternoon and evening for visiting the most popular places that the day trippers will have on their checklists (St. Mark’s Basilica and Square, the Doge’s Palace, the Rialto), and take in some of the lesser visited gems midday (the sublime artistic masterpiece that is the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the palace frozen in a long past golden age Ca’ Rezzonico, and many others).

The Palace of Versailles, virtually empty in the late afternoon.

Travel in Europe when you want to, even mid-summer (which, after 10 years of guiding tours, is still my favourite time to be in Europe!) With some research and planning, you won’t need to worry about lineups and crowds.

Have you got a travel tip of your own? Feel free to share it in the comments section below.

OneLife Tours is dedicated to the absolute best in European travel experiences. In addition to providing outstanding escorted tours for small groups, we also offer travel planning assistance for independent travelers wishing to have one-on-one expert advice. Contact our chief tour director Craig Bresett for more information.

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/506116251454697472/4blfsXiS.jpeg[/author_image] [author_info]This blog happily shared with you by Craig Bresett (without a crowd in sight) – owner and chief tour director at OneLife Tours. Contact Craig anytime: craig@onelifetours.ca[/author_info] [/author]

Trop nombreux visiteurs, pas assez d’espace!

By the 1980’s it was apparent that the Louvre, the world’s most famous museum, had to make a change. The number of daily visitors completely overwhelmed the inadequate entrance area, but art fans kept coming in larger numbers. A decision was made to excavate the central courtyard and create an underground lobby to accommodate all the people. But what about the entrance? Famed architect I.M. Pei (who is still around and working today at age 98!) was commissioned to design a unique entrance to the old palace – a steel and glass pyramid. As part of the package, 7 pyramids were to be built, including an inverted one, but the big one in the centre of the courtyard would serve as the main entrance to the museum. Parisians, who have been known to throw a fit over anything that disrupts the undeniable architectural harmony of their city (for example, they wanted the Eiffel Tower torn down, but that’s another blog topic…) were generally not happy with the futuristic design. An editorial described French President François Mitterrand, who ultimately gave approval to the design, as having a “pharaoh” complex. I don’t think he intended to be buried under the pyramid though! Work proceeded regardless of the controversy, and in 1989 the new pyramid entrance and underground lobby of the Louvre was opened to the public, forever making the museum more accessible and open. I’ve talked to Parisians who still hate it, but most have come to accept it as a unique, if not necessarily beautiful, part of the urban landscape.

Pei’s idea for a steel and glass pyramid was meant to create as little obstruction to the view as possible, while allowing a large entrance area. Do you think he succeeded?

“Controversy” or just fiction?

French conspiracy theorist Dominique Stezepfandt’s book François Mitterrand, Grand Architecte de l’Univers propagated the idea that the pyramid was specifically built with 666 panes of glass and was “dedicated to a power described as the Beast in the Book of Revelation”. Simple counting reveals that there are 673 panes of glass in the pyramid – talk about not doing your research! So much for that goofy theory.

Dan Brown’s immensely popular novel The DaVinci Code asserts that the sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene lies under the inverted pyramid in the Louvre’s underground shopping mall. That, even the author will tell you, is of course just fiction. But it made for an interesting end to the book.

So what do you think of all the modern steel and glass at the Louvre? Let me know in the comments.

OneLife Tours is dedicated to the absolute best in European travel experiences for our small groups. Our Grand Tour of Europe spends three glorious days in Paris, with a special guided tour of the highlights of the enormous Louvre Museum.

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/506116251454697472/4blfsXiS.jpeg[/author_image] [author_info]This blog happily shared with you by Craig Bresett (currently in a room with only 6 panes of glass) – owner and chief tour director at OneLife Tours. Contact Craig anytime: craig@onelifetours.ca[/author_info] [/author]

High season in Europe? What high season?

666 panes of glass, and the actual controversy of the Louvre Pyramid

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