Pavillon de Flore at the Louvre

During my last trip to Paris, I was up and out touring the city before six o’clock every morning. While it sounds exhausting, it was really great. For nearly two hours, I had the city to myself – to capture beautiful images, take in architectural details, and read historic plaques I had previously overlooked. This image features the southwest corner of the Louvre @museelouvre known as the Pavillon de Flore. It’s name is taken from the exterior relief of Flora, the mythological goddess of flowering plants – she is also the goddess who inspired the name of the famous Café de Flore @cafedeflore_paris. The pavilion was constructed under the reign of Henry IV, my very favorite French king, and renovated under Napoleon III. The interior rooms are not open to the public, but collections from Africa, Asia, Oceana, and the Americas are housed in the adjoining Denon Galleries. Bonne visite!