after they discovered the National Museum was closed for Bastille Day. So, we left the house early with Aliette (teacher) and her daughter (student), which was just as well as we could avoid the crowds. Once the Metro tickets were sorted out, we arrived in good time and visited an Au Marche for breakfast croissants. Then we bought a neon red Eiffel Tower to clip onto Meggar's new red bag. Then we went inside the heavenly palace of artistic beauty. Of course, we rented the audio tour!
The 45-minute guided narration took us 90+ minutes--but we were thrilled with Venus de Milo statue (shown), and Michelangelo's two slaves, and finally (!) Leonardo's "Mona Lisa." After pushing through the teeming throng we retreated to the opposite wall an met Veronese's "Wedding Feast of Cana" measuring an incredible 22' x 33' (if I have converted the metrics properly). Staggering size and amazing detail/color! Fun. 
I became giddy with the Renaissance works such as Botticelli and all the Madona paintings, which are featured annually in the Catholic Arts Calendar which Uncle Clint gives me every year for Christmas! To see the real pictures?! was like walking around in a dream-come-true.
Lastly, we visited the French masterpiece area which included three enormous paintings by Delacroix, whom Domitille mentions as her favorite artist. A full day of art, but you cannot see everything in every gallery or you will die--of happy exhaustion.
We ended in the Gift Gallery and bought "Madeline" children's book in French for Meggar to read aloud to her charges, future students, and future children.
In an old house in Paris
that was covered in vines,
lived 12 little girls
in two straight lines.
They left the house
at half-past nine,
in rain or shine;
the youngest one
was Madeline.
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