Musée du Cabinet des Médailles

Advantages: Only place to see the Mona Lisa
Disadvantages: Very busy all the time

...Musee du Louvre (Louvre Museum) Background The Louvre is the most visited and one of the oldest, largest and most famous art galleries and museums in the world. The first royal “Castle of the Louvre” was founded in what was then the western edge of Paris by Philip Augustus in 1190, as a fortified royal palace to defend Paris on its west against Plantagenet attacks. The first building in the existing Louvre was begun in 1535, after demolition of the Old Castle (foundations of the Old Castle are now an exhibition). The architect Pierre Lescot introduced to Paris the new design vocabulary of the Renaissance, which had been developed in the chateaux of the Loire. During his reign (1589 – 1610), King Henry IV added the Grande Galerie. Henry IV, a promoter of the arts, invited hundreds of artists and craftsmen to live and work... Read review

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Advantages: Art
Disadvantages: Queue

...The Musee du Louvre is an unmissable excursion for any one staying in Paris. It is basically a huge museum and art gallery in the centre of town. It is easy reachable by bus or on foot and even has its own Metro station, the station itself is worth a look (the poshest Metro station I have ever seen, with museum type displays along the walls). On one side of the Louvre is the busy shopping street of rue de Rivoli and on the other is the Seine, flowing past. Entry costs 49 francs, which drops to 33 francs after 3pm and on some nights the museum is open as late as 10pm. The place is huge, divided into three wings - Sully, Denon and Richelieu. The most interesting way to gain entry is through the glass pyramid in the centre of the three wings. It contrasts sharply with the old style grand architecture which surrounds it. What... Read review

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...VIENNE (AFP) - La cohésion de l'Opep et sa capacité d'intervention sur le marché semblent mises à mal à une semaine d'une réunion ministérielle du cartel à Beyrouth, estimaient mardi les analystes. "Pour la première fois depuis le sommet de Caracas, en septembre 2000, l'Organisation des pays exportateurs de pétrole (Opep) apparaît divisée", affirme Pierre Terzian, de la revue Pétrostratégies à Paris. "Il y a ceux qui, comme l'Arabie saoudite et les Emirats arabes unis, sont prêts à produire plus pour faire baisser les prix et ceux qui, comme le Venezuela et l'Algérie, estiment que c'est l'offre de produits raffinés et non celle de pétrole qui est insuffisante", ajoute-t-il. Mais, selon lui, "la question fondamentale n'est pas celle d'une mobilisation immédiate des capacités de production non-utilisées du cartel, qui tournent... Read review

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