French on Strike

Clearly when I come to Paris, nearly all the French workers are on strike. This meant that things like the louvre, Versailles, the Orsay museum, ect were fully or partially closed. I did the sightseeing thing with 2 Ausies and a Californian, who were really cool. As we came close to the glass pyramid, we saw there was no queue (which is now what I call a line and an elevator is now a lift) we knew it was bad. So we walked down a tunnel area bummed and were looking into the museum through these big glass windows, and we saw people walking around. First, we thought they must work there, or be important people or something like that, but when I saw they were taking pictures I said no they are definitely tourists! And these two guys next to us, were like “we were in there, it’s open.” So we asked how to get in, and they said “you need to be persistent” and walked away. It was like when Charlie is looking into the gate of the chocolate factory and that old man says “nobody ever goes in and nobody ever comes out” and creaks away with his cart, and then Charlie really want to go in! So we decided we didn’t care, we were getting into the Louvre somehow!

Everyone was very weird about giving us information. We went up to some people coming out of the exit and I did my sweestest “ pardon, par le vous anglais?” and I get the typical French-“a little.”

“ did you just go into the museum”

“yes”

“How?”

“What?”

“The museum’s on rev- how did you get in?”

“We don’t know.”

“But you walked around and saw the Mona Lisa and such?”

“yes”

“How did you enter the museum?”

They look at each other and at us, and its real weird like they don’t want to tell us. Then the girl goes, you can get in through the mall, and they walk away.

We were like what the F?! Anways, we are very persistant, find a mall, walk to the ground floor and see the inverted pyramid. We like ran, ,skipped up to it! And we entered the groups entrance normal as anything. Turns out the strike was just for show, and the louvre was actually completely open.