The Mona Lisa

The first and only time I saw the Mona Lisa in person was this summer. That was all I could think about when I got to Paris, "I have to see the Mona Lisa." Being an art major, going to the Louvre was gonna be an amazing experience and it was. The Mona Lisa, of course, was the first stop on the tour for me. I have read books, seen shows, watched movies that all pertained to the Mona Lisa. I knew that seeing it in person was going to top all that. This painting is one of the most famous pieces in the world so everyone wants to see it. I knew from everything that I have read that it was one of the smaller paintings so I wasn't expecting anything big like David's Oath of the Horatii. What I wasn't expecting was the huge crowd that gathered around it. The painting was roped off so no one was able to come close, but the crowd inched forward pressing upon the velvet red ropes. In order to get close, I had to weasel my way through and push people aside all the while holding my breath from the horrid smell of b.o. Once I was in visual range, I stood there in awe, but that did not last very long. Just as I pushed my way up to the front, others were doing the same and I found myself getting further and further away. Soon enough I was squeezed out of the crowd and once again on the outskirts. My time with the painting was short lived. I was in and out within five minutes. I came all this way and I was only able to see the Mona Lisa for five minutes. Upon leaving I told myself that I would return again someday and maybe I will be there longer than five minutes.