The courtyard with the pyramids was crowded with tourists posing and taking photos, kids pushing and chasing each other, the guys selling the Eiffel Tower replicas and water and lines of people waiting to enter the museum.
Something caught our attention right away--a huge red metal box that spilled into about a quarter of the courtyard. Ugly, ugly, ugly. It has the words "bookstore" written in a variety of languages. I was so horrified I could barely hold my phone steady to take this photo.
While it doesn't look permanent, in France, you never know.
We entered through the entrance reserved for Amis du Louvre members. The entrance has been fortified and has three guards in front and two more inside. Last time we visited, there was one uninterested guy who didn't even check our cards. We entered and went directly to the Information booth, which had also moved. A nice woman declared the red building to be temporary and "moche"; translation is ugly, horrible, sad.
The Louvre is undergoing a big renovation. They are re-doing the bookstore. When it is finished, the big red, ugly building will disappear. Evidently a lot of the ground floor will be re-done. We had to figure out a new way to leave the building, our old "Sortie" is covered with boards and tape.
I wonder if they'll add more food/beverage service. We are never able to find a place for a cup of tea or coffee, the restaurants are filled to the brim.
I loved the previous bookstore, although it had been recently changed to two levels and the stairs were a bit slippery. I was always able to find great books at this store.
We did see the Poussin. It wasn't very crowded. We did see the Flemish paintings which I preferred to the Poussin. We did not go into the bookstore on principle.
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