Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder

I've always admired Leonardo Da Vinci.  Always have, always will.  

I confess, my love for him sprang from the movie "Ever After" with Drew Barrymore which portrayed him as a kindly, comedic old man who just happened to be the smartest and most talented guy ever alive. And he was quite the matchmaker.  It grew with the Da Vinci code which spotlighted his most famous works of art to me.  His style is uniquely his own and the fact that he invented and painted and sketched made him all the more of a Renaissance man to me.  Whenever I get asked the question, "If you could meet anyone, dead or alive?" (and I get asked that a lot more than you'd think), I always answer with an enthusiastic, "Leonardo Da Vinci!"  

But seriously, what is the big frickin' deal with the Mona Lisa? 

I know, I know. It's the seductive half smile.  It's the moony eyes that seem to follow you everywhere you turn.  It's the milky skin.  But when you put it all together, you have to admit that she's a little bit creepy-looking.

It really just proves that some things really don't live up to the hype and that everyone's perception of what if beautiful are really really different.  Thankfully, the rest of the Louvre really was amazing.  A morning truly wasn't enough time to explore the treasure trove but I did the best I could, traipsing around the museum by myself, getting lost, turning this way and then that way.  I encountered some pretty groovy things.

I think this just about covers my college tuition. And then some.

Loving the Louvre

Now the "Winged Victory of Samothrace" truly was something to stare at

Most of the paintings at the Louvre were so depressing and gloomy.  This was the first one that made me smile.

She was so close to being "Mona Lisa!"

The Louvre, inside and out, is a masterpiece. A work of art. I'd definitely go back a couple more times to finish the galleries.  And maybe just to check out Mona Lisa again and see if she improved with age.