The loudspeaker came on at 2 PM in the Louvre. “Everyone must evacuate the building. When the situation is over you will be allowed to return.” Right. Goldfinch. (I was near Corot. Which priceless treasure should I rescue on the way out?). I started to stride purposefully toward the nearest green sign depicting someone running like a bat out of hell when I noticed that no one was rushing the exits. Then I came upon Deanna who said that she had not heard that announcement. So. What gives. Do they just selectively terrorize the tourists; do they want to clear out a few galleries so they can squeeze in another tour? Yes, it was Just another day of sensory overload at the Louvre.
First stop this morning was Place de la Concorde with the Egyptian obelisk, 3200 years old from Luxor, in the center, la tour Eiffel in the distance and a gigantic Ferris wheel along the street by the entrance to the Tuilleries and Le musee de l Orangerie. During the Revolution, 1,119 people died here on the guillotine including Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette as well as the ones who sent them there: Robespierre and Danton.
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