Louvre Museum and the Sewers of Paris

It was in the sewers of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Having been to Paris many times, I’ve been to almost all of the usual sightseeing locations. About 15 years ago or so, I started visiting the secondary list of sights that gets into the less well-known, secret, or local-frequented spots. This post talks about two extremes of this list: the Louvre Museum and the Sewers of Paris. I spent about an hour in Louvre to see two areas that I find very interesting to me. One is the displays of the original walls of the city below the Louvre and another is a painting that has always intrigued me from one of my first visits. Then I spent a little time taking a tour of the Parisian sewers – a fun-filled, informative journey into the underside of Paris which channels all the water waste from Paris to water treatment plants.

Louvre Museum: In the basement of the Louvre Museum (https://louvre.fr), in the exhibit “Pavillon de l’Horlage (Clock Pavilion),” the museum displays the changes and growth of the Louvre complex over time from its initial start in 1190 AD to today. The Louvre’s initial purpose was to protect the city of Paris from English and Norman invasions as a defensive fort and walls with a moat. In this basement exhibit, many of the original fort, walls, and moat are rebuilt to show what the fort looked like at the beginning. This part of the Louvre fascinates me the most in the museum because of its size and history.

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One painting within the Louvre caught my attention on my first trip when I was a mere lad of 13. While I did go see the Mona Lisa, this painting, though, intrigued me much more. I think it reminded me of myself as a contemplative, intense boy. Every one of my visits to the Louvre includes a stop at this painting.

Underneath the Louvre Museum, is a mall, The Carrousel du Louvre (https://www.carrouseldulouvre.com). Here displays an impressive assortment of high end shops, American stores, Starbucks, and a food court. I stopped here to get some lunch and some delicious macaroons from Laduree, one of the premier macaroon shops in Paris. My favorite macaroon flavor is lavender (not always available, unfortunately) with a silky smooth consistency after an initial subtle crunch. Average macaroons tend to be a little gritty and chalky. This is one of the indications to me how good a macaroon is. In this shopping center is the bottom part of the glass pyramid from of the Louvre as well as a number of shops you would see in any major shopping center in the United States. There is a lot more in common between Paris and the US today then when I first started visiting Paris in the 1980s. In this shopping center is Fragonard (https://www.fragonard.com). A few years ago, I discovered a cologne from the perfumerie, Fragonard, called Diamant (Diamond). It’s my everyday cologne. Many of you have remarked how well it smells.

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Musée des Égouts: The final stop was to the Sewers of Paris (https://musee-egouts.paris.fr). These miles of underground tunnels channel the waste water of Paris to water treatment plants. Paris is a very large city with large amounts of water flowing from storm drains, buildings, and apartments all over the city. This is one of those places where you learn about the civil engineering marvel of these sewers and how the city was able to prosper as a result. The smell is unique but not that bad once you get used to it after being down there a few minutes. The museum exhibits the history and function of the sewers. There are guided tours as well.

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Well, onto new adventures as I move into my apartment this weekend and start the journey of setting up utilities, a French bank account, and registering my business with the French authorities.

Until we meet in Paris…