Digital Nomad Diaries: Paris Day 2
The Louvre, a French strike, 12,000 steps, and a walk I absolutely did not need to take.
There's a version of this day where everything goes smoothly. This was not that version. And honestly, it made for a better story.
If you missed Paris Day 1, catch up here.
The morning: pain au chocolat and a very French surprise
After a decent night's sleep (in a very hot hotel room), I grabbed a pain au chocolat and headed to the Musée du Louvre for my 10:30am booking. This is my third time to Paris but my first time inside this legendary museum. I was properly prepared, had my ticket booked, and done all my research like a smart tourist.
I headed to the Carrousel entrance to avoid the main crowds, which every travel guide will tell you to do. What those guides don't account for is the staff going on strike.
Very French. Extremely inconvenient. Deeply on brand for Paris.
I stood in line with other tourists just as confused as I was (of course, they don’t tell you it’s a strike or what time it’ll open). Some people decided not to gamble on the wait, and others like myself said eh, let’s see how this goes. The entire museum was closed, and after 50 minutes of waiting, the line finally started to move at 11:20am. I finally got inside at noon, an hour and a half after my booking time, with with some newfound energy after all my patience finally paid off.
Inside the Louvre: finally
Here's the thing about the Louvre: it's enormous. Like, genuinely disorienting in its scale. You could spend a week here and still not see everything.
I did the classics. The Mona Lisa (always go see this first so you can move on and wander more freely after), the Winged Victory of Samothrace (breathtaking), and the Venus de Milo (somehow both smaller and more impressive than photos suggest).
But honestly, the best parts were the moments between the famous pieces. Just wandering the historic halls and seeing what else I would stumble across. The Louvre's building is as much of an attraction as what's inside it.
And it turns out that the kerfuffle of this morning’s strike may have actually been beneficial. I’d always heard how insanely crowded the Louvre is, but I wonder if the morning closure meant fewer people inside. Sure, there were people, but nothing like the hoards I’d been warned about.
Lunch in the Café Richelieu-Angelina inside the museum was a highlight too, as the view of the courtyard with the famous glass pyramids is stunning and worth sitting with for a while.
Four hours and 12,000 steps later, my feet were done.
The walk back (that I absolutely did not need to take)
Because apparently 12,000 steps wasn't enough, I decided to walk the 45 minutes back to Montmartre instead of taking the metro. Thankfully I’d had a break after the Louvre to meet my friend Shauna for a drink, but my feet still weren’t prepared for this trek.
I have no real explanation for this decision. Paris is beautiful to walk through, and I think I just didn't want to stop moving. Plus I didn’t have the mental energy to deal with the metro at that point.
Dinner was Italian, not French, and I will not be apologizing for it. I ate French the night before and I'll eat French again the next few nights. Sometimes you just want pasta.
Then back to the hotel to pass out before another day in Paris.
The quick itinerary
Grab a pain au chocolat from a local boulangerie
The Louvre, book timed entry in advance (and hope there's no strike)
Must-sees: Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo
Lunch at the Café Richelieu-Angelina with courtyard views
Afternoon drink in the area
Walk back to Montmartre if your feet are somehow not destroyed
