The earth is still turning on its axis as Hollande claimed victory but the mood remains sombre. Apparently there was dancing in the streets but over on the right bank, on the Champs-Elysees from the news broadcasts.

Our friends, the Feldmans, are in town and we headed to the Louvre today, a daunting place if there ever was one, having been here many times. The breadth of the exhibits really can make one feel positively ignorant of all but the most common knowledge: da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, that sort of thing. Anyway, it’s always worth a few hours although even that is somewhat overwhelming; the trick is not to go to more than two of the wings, if even that.

Saw some old faves, however, including the most famous painting in the world. When I first came hear almost 30 years ago, you could walk up to the Mona Lisa, there was no glass, no crowds, no hundreds of cameras, etc. Now it’s wall-to-wall people with iPhones,  flash, etc. In fact, once inside the Louvre, there are signs all over the place pointing to that particular gallery. Saw a few new pieces as well, like the winged Mercury and the fascinating tomb of Phillppe Pot but as usual flagged after a while and hit Angelina for some hot chocolate. On the hot chocolate list that I’ve been reading, Angelina was  runner-up although how it didn’t make the Top 5, I can’t say.

Bought some wine for our apartment and La Dernier Goutte and did some work. Went to Positano for a pizza and called it a night.