My day started with breakfast in the hotel brasserie followed by a meeting with one of our tour guides in the lobby for joining instructions.
Our group (49 people total) left by bus mid-afternoon, and we boarded our ship, the MS Sapphire, around 3 PM. The ship was both cozy and elegant with friendly courteous staff, and my cabin was small but comfortable. We moved quickly from orientation to a buffet dinner and then back on the bus for a private tour of the Louvre.
We had an excellent guide who described the museum’s history and its collections. As it would take a month to view the entire museum, we focused on the most famous masterpieces – the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and Venus de Milo, I managed to take quite a few pictures of the paintings and sculptures as we walked through the galleries.
Inside the Louvre Pyramid
Our group had fun with this sculpture, which we christened “Apollo Taking a Selfie”
Mona Lisa
Winged Victory
Venus de Milo
Old Centaur Teased by Eros (apparently Eros has never heard of the consequences of “poking the bear”)When we got back to the ship, there was a surprise dessert waiting for us in the lounge – crepes suzettes! I had chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce with mine and enjoyed a musical performance by a pianist and singer.
See more photos: