Back to Milan

 My trip to Rome was just about so I checked out of the boutique hotel I stayed at and went to Rome Termini to wait for my train to Milano Centrale. It was a Friday, but the national rail workers union called a national strike for Thursday and Friday of that week, so on Friday, June 17, 2022 I wouldn't know if my train would be delayed or cancelled as there was a message on the arrival and departure boards both in English and Italian saying trains could be delayed or cancelled because of the national strike. Luckily my train was not delayed or cancelled, since no indication was next to the associated train number when my train to Milano appeared on the board.

When I reflect on it I think I checked out of the hotel too early since I had to wait about 2 hours at Rome Termini and on top of it there was no air conditioning inside where I was waiting, but I didn't want to miss my train so I left early, even if it was only a 5 minute walk to the train station. That didn't really bother me because usually I enjoy waiting, so I just explored the station a bit and bought orange juice and water from McDonald's. 

As the time approached for my train to appear on the departure board I just waited and waited until it was time, and it appeared, so I just had to wait more to see which platform I would go to. I see the my train finally populate the departure board and then a while later the platform number appears along side of it with no delay or cancellation, so I walk towards the platform and then walk back out because I wanted to make sure I was going in the right direction. I then followed the signs again to walk back to the platform and proceed to board the train.

My train to Milan departed on time, even while other trains were delayed or cancelled, but I arrived in Milan around 2:15 pm on Friday, June 17, 2022, and then I left Milano Centrale to check in at the hotel I booked online.

After leaving Milano Centrale it took me about 1 hour to find the hotel, even though it should have only taken about 10 minutes walking from the station to the hotel, because of how the city of Milano is laid out with the streets going in different directions, but I finally was able to find it and then checked in and went to my assigned room.

Then I left the hotel to go back to the train station to buy dinner, so at one counter service restaurant I bought a soda and a bottle of water but I had to pay in card because they only accept exact change, so if you don't have the correct amount or an amount close to that you need to buy by card. Then I went to another restaurant to buy a prosciutto sandwich, and I paid by card again, because I didn't have exact change. So I just paid and wait for my sandwich to get out of the oven and then decide to go back to the hotel to eat (I should have eaten inside the train station because I didn't like the taste of the sandwich for some reason) but didn't like it so I just drank the bottled water.

Since it was too early I turned on the television and then as time approached I went to bed so I could wake up early for my train.

By the way, I only went back to Milano in order to get to Venice the next day, so that might be crazy and a waste of time for some people I didn't want to stay in Venice longer than 1 day.  

Rome Trip Day 2: Colosseum and Beware of Scams

On June 16, 2022 I went to the Colosseum just because I wanted to see it and because I booked a so-called skip-the-line tour group ticket online. I arrived too early at the Colosseo Metro Station and just waited but I had trouble finding my tour group because for some reason I booked a tour group that had multiple options so it left without me as I saw the group exit the metro station and continue to cross the street to the Colosseum. I don't know why I booked the group tour with multiple options but I checked my credit card account I booked it with and saw it was refunded, so maybe they canceled the tour because I didn't show up or the entire tour was cancelled because not enough people showed up.

Anyways, I decided to try and book a ticket for the Colosseum without any tour group on the coopculture website, and I was able to purchase a ticket for 4:00 pm for June 16, 2022, as it was difficult to purchase tickets since it is a major attraction and tickets sell out fast, but I was lucky to get it for the same day after other earlier timeslots were sold out.

So the thing to do now was to wait and to explore or just do stuff. I decided to buy a bottle of water from a counter service restaurant located near the exit of the metro station and then drank it all because it was too hot because of Italy's Mediterranean climate. After that I explored Rome near the Colosseum for a while until I decided to eat lunch.

It wasn't even 10:00 am yet so I decided to look around to see what I could find and let me say it was interesting but more on that later.

Along the way I took some pictures in the morning after missing my tour group due to confusing directions about where to meet up as well as it also being a multiple option tour, but I won't say any more about that.

I think this picture above is supposed to be part of the Roman Forum but if it isn't it could be something else such as part of the Imperial Fora.

This is just a closeup of the same building located near the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

This building above is a picture I believe of the Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian. I believe it still operates as a Catholic Church today according to their website.

Next are some pictures of ancient ruins that were nearby as this is the ancient part of Rome with the majority of the tourist attractions.

Ancient Ruins

Ancient Ruins

Ancient Ruins

Ancient Ruins

These ancient ruins could also be part of the Roman Forum or something else but they are still important to see because of what Rome use to look like and what it represented before.

But back to the point of Rome, which is considered an ancient city because of its history as well as its architecture, the major tourist areas are filled with con artists and scammers looking to make money from tourists as well as sometimes from locals.

In the middle of recording videos and taking pictures of these ancient ruins above some young mysterious black man approached me and placed some sort of African Elephant Friendship Bracelet on my wrist and gave me a belt so I just paid him his asking price. In the middle of this some Spanish-looking person wanted me to buy bottled water from him but I politely refused because I didn't want any water. After that I just went as far away as possible from that particular area and went back near the outside entrance/exit of the Colosseo Metro Station and then proceeded to look at the Colosseum just because of how massive it was up close. A short while later I went back inside the metro station and bought a round personal pizza and a soda for lunch since it was about 11:00 am and then I went back to my hotel room to rest until I needed to go back.

Now, here is the thing about the con artists and scammers near major tourist areas in Rome, but this can happen anywhere in Europe, but for this purpose I will stick to Rome, so I will just explain below some scammers and con artists I encountered in Rome.

Friendship Bracelets

The friendships are offered to tourists and sometimes rarely to locals by young looking Black African Men who say that they are from Senegal or that they want to help Senegal. The scam goes like this: the con artist or scammer places the bracelet on your wrist and tries to explain what it is for, essentially a form of small talk and often friendly conversation with a stranger, but then the scammer or con artist might offer you something else, such as a belt or even another accessory, depending on what he has in stock. Now, after explaining everything to the tourist or naïve local, the con artist or scammer sets a pre-determined price, as he will charge everyone different prices as he sees fit, so the pricing can be cheap or expensive depending on who the con artist or scammer is.

Here is the interesting part of this scam: the con artist or scammer will comment on "how nice your shoes are" or "where are you from," but to avoid being scammed by any of these fake people (because you don't know if they are actually from Senegal or even supporting the country) just ignore them and walk the other way so that you don't pay them to support their fake and illegal cause, since it is illegal in Rome to sell items this way. This might be considered rude to ignore them but other websites, blogs, and forums will tell you the same thing, as it is in the best interest of both parties so that the victim(s) don't fall prey to the scammer(s) and so the scammer(s) won't benefit from illegal activities and illegal revenue streams. That is the best option just to walk away and ignore them as they are trying to make a nice conservation with you. There

Bottled Water

Now, I know what you are thinking, how can bottled water be a scam, well it technically isn't but the person selling the bottled water might be suspicious or dishonest about where the water came from or the place they got it from. If you want to buy water you should buy it from the kiosk, a restaurant, or the vending machine; however, you should not buy bottled water from a person selling it on the side of the street because you don't know where he or she stored it, since it can be considered unsafe to drink because there are instances that these illegal sidewalk vendors store their inventory of bottled water in the sewer drains and manholes. 

That doesn't sound good because it can make you sick. So you should just walk away and avoid them like the people commenting on your shoes. Besides, you can get free water if you have an empty water bottle since Rome installed drinking water refilling stations around the city.

These were two type of scams that I continued to see and encounter in Rome while I was in the major tourist areas, but the reason they are considered scams is because the scammers are not truthful as well as their income source being illegal because they do not pay taxes. There can be other scams and things to avoid but I only encountered these two types of scams while in Rome.

Back to the point about the main point, which is about the Colosseum visit as well as the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, so I will explain further below.

After finishing lunch I went back to the metro and withdraw some cash from an ATM in the metro because I wanted extra cash after getting ripped off  earlier in the day from some man saying he is from Senegal and or trying to support his country, but I won't mention that again, as it isn't important now, yet I might mention something in the general context later. I then proceed to my hotel room and rest for a while until I believe it is time to head back to the Colosseum.

Since my reserved timeslot (I was lucky to get and purchase because direct tickets sale out fast online) was at 4:00 pm I did not know what time to leave so I just left at 1:30 pm or around that time or sooner but I don't really remember the exact time.

I walk across the street to the Colosseum after exiting the turnstile machine at the Colosseo metro station and proceed to walk around the Colosseum until I saw what seems to be the correct entrance for individual ticket holders. While walking around the Colosseum just to look at it these same "Senegal" scammers keep on trying to talk to me again and again but I just ignore them and continue to look around and then take pictures of the Colosseum along with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, so instead of talking or approaching them I just ignore them and walk in the opposite direction in the hopes they will leave me alone.

A picture of the Colosseum I took while just looking around. I had to take this photo from quite a distance away because up close it would be impossible to get the Colosseum in the entire picture, as the top portion of the building might not be included because it is such a huge piece of ancient and well-built architecture.

This is supposed to be a picture of some ruins of the Roman Forum but if it isn't just look at a field of grass with people going inside the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

This is a picture of one of the many triumphal arches in Rome. If I'm correct this is the Arch of Constantine, but this is generally located between the Colosseum and the entrance to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

Anyway, some person who tries to help people where they can buy tickets to the Colosseum eventually approaches me and asks if I have a ticket. I tell him yes that I have a ticket and at the specific time, so he tells me that I can go to the Roman Forum and then come back before 4:00 pm. So I headed towards the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill to look around and explore.

Arriving at the line I present my mobile ticket to security and then I proceed to security where I place everything in a sun hat so I don't have any issues from the metal detector during security screening. After passing through the metal detector I collect my stuff from the top or side of the x-ray screening machine and then proceed to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

A zoomed out picture inside the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill with people walking in different directions.

A close up of the same area but zoomed in with people looking at the buildings and ruins inside of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

This is a picture of the same buildings and ruins inside of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill but taken closer than the previous 2 photos. The first photo was normal magnification while the second photo was zoomed in for a close up.

Some buildings and ancient ruins with scaffolding present inside of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

Another photo of the same buildings and ruins inside the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill pictured above but taken from a different angle.

This photo is farther up the path from the picture above but it shows some of the same buildings and ruins inside of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

People resting inside the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill or getting up close to view some ruins of ancient Rome.

The time for my reserved timeslot was nearing so I headed back towards the entrance of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill to exit.

Here is a photo of a triumphal arch inside the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill as I was leaving to get to the Colosseum.

After arriving at the Colosseum I got in line and showed security my mobile ticket and proceeded to security screening where I placed everything in my sun hat again to avoid setting off the metal detector. Then I took my items and went inside the Colosseum to view it about 15 minutes early.

Below is a picture of the Colosseum from inside one of the viewing spots, but this is just a dead end so all you can do is view the Colosseum or take some pictures, and nothing else.

After a while I decided to go up to the actual entrance of the Colosseum where ticket holders can actually begin their tour of the ancient arena but you will have to climb many stairs so it could become very tiring if you are not used to it.

 

This picture above is a view of the city of Rome from inside the Colosseum. It is located near a windowless viewing spot but be careful of crowds because many people will take similar photos in areas like this so you might have to wait for your turn.

This picture above is a view of the arena underground. Access to it requires a different kind of ticket that I didn't purchase but if you just want to view the Colosseum itself then the standard ticket should be fine for most people.

Here is a view of the arena underground from a different angle. Again you need a special ticket to enter the underground and or the arena floor itself, so if you have time you could purchase a last minute ticket if available or go with a tour group.

Since I was almost done with exploring the Colosseum I found the exit and just continued to walk towards that direction.

I got back to the Colosseo metro station and bought a mixed granita inside because I was exhausted and thirsty from the heat of the Sun. Then I went back to the hotel to go back to my room but while doing so had to wait 15 minutes for the train to arrive at the platform because there were some issues so people started to become inpatient.

Soon the train approached and I got off at Rome Termini and walked back to my hotel in order to rest for a while and then to buy dinner from the grocery store near by.

Rome Trip Day 1

On Wednesday, June 15, 2022 I left Paris to go Italy for a short 5 day trip. I left the apartment to go catch the first bus of the morning, which arrived around 5:15 am or somewhere around that time. I got onto the bus and got off at the Mairie de Montreuil - Pasteur bus stop and went to the metro to take metro line 9 from the terminus of Mairie de Montreuil to Nation. I then proceeded to RER A and got off after 1 station at Gare de Lyon.

After arriving at Gare de Lyon I walked the long distance to the train terminal where I arrived about 90 minutes before my train would depart.

I arrived at Hall 2 and looked at the television monitors for the hall of where my train would depart and it indicated Hall 1 so I just exited Hall 2 and proceeded to walk to Hall 1 until it would be time to board the train. It wouldn't be that long until the train would arrived but I believe I saw it pull up into the platform about maybe 45 minutes to an hour before it would depart.

My train was a Frecciarossa 1000 operated by Trenitalia, which just started the service back in mid December of 2021, so it's a fairly new route and service, but the goal of the Italian government owned Trenitalia is to compete with the TGV route between Paris and Italy.

Soon it was time for boarding so I proceeded to the boarding gates to get my ticket scanned and then boarded the train. It would be a long train ride to Italy with a connection in Milano Centrale but about 20 minutes shorter than the nonstop TGV service to Milan.

Overall, the seats in the economy section were kind of nice because the train was brand new but the seats looked as though they were made of brown leather. 

Nevertheless, the train departed on time, around 7:27 am, and it took about 6 hours and 41 minutes to get from Paris to Milan, but it arrived on time at Milano Centrale around 2:07 pm. I proceeded to get my belongings so I could find my connecting train that would take me to Rome Termini Train Station, and that was a disaster.

It was only supposed to be a 23 minute connection at Milano Centrale but I had difficulty finding the correct train from the departure and arrival boards because I didn't really know the route of the train because it wasn't indicated in my e-ticket details, so instead I looked at the boards for 10 minutes and thought I saw my correct train number and proceeded to the platform even if I got what seemed to be a few minutes just after departure time.

However, there were many problems with most of the trains, mostly because the trains were always wait and a day later there was a national strike by the rail union and its employees, so trains could be potentially cancelled and delayed. But I just boarded my train and it was still there, even if it left about 10-15 minutes late past its departure time.

Instead of leaving at 2:30 pm like it was supposed to the train left around 2:45 pm or around that time and arrived approximately 1 hour late because of the delay at Milano Centrale and the other issues of the Italian Rail System. So the train arrived in Rome about 6:40 pm instead of 5:40 pm and I just got off after it stopped and the doors opened.

I got out of the train station and took my belongings with me to check in at the hotel I booked a while back but accidentally went the wrong way so I wasted 30 minutes of exiting the wrong side of Rome Termini train station, but I just went back inside to the train station after I found it again and exited the opposite side and proceeded to cross the street until I found the hotel. I checked in and went to my assigned room and had trouble turning on the lights because hotels in Italy make you put your key card in a slot to turn on everything so the proprietor can save some money.

After finding out how to turn on the lights I went to buy food, drinks, and snacks from the grocery store near the train station because I didn't want to eat at a restaurant but I also bought a metro pass after I ate in my hotel room.

When I finished eating in my hotel room I went back to the Rome Termini to buy metro tickets from the metro station below. I just followed the signs and proceeded to wait for a machine to open up as many people were buying tickets and passes. It was my turn and I decided to purchase the 2 day metro pass for 12.50 Euros but somehow the machine gave me another 2 day metro pass so I had to pay double because of some issues with the machine. But after that I went back to the hotel and waited for the next day.

Château de Versailles and Gardens

After a few days passed from visiting the Louvre I visited the Palace of Versailles and the Gardens on Saturday, June 11, 2022. 

My reserved timeslot was for 9:00 am, which was the first available timeslot available on Saturday. I arrived about maybe 1 HOUR early, so I had nothing to do but wait, if that what I wanted to do, but it was just too early to wait.

When I arrived at the gate entrance for Versailles not many people where there, except for a few people, not including security screening.

Interestingly, as I entered the palace gates, that was supposed to be the first security check, but none of the security checked me because it was too early or I didn't have any bag or anything else, so they just let me inside and I had to think what I would do next.

Since no one was waiting in line and no line was formed yet I decided to go to the garden via the garden exit gate. 

The garden was supposed to open an hour before the palace but no one was checking tickets yet so I just entered the exit gate, which other people used. There were some people but it was not that busy in the early morning. Most people in the garden where only walking and marveling at how magnificent it looked, including me.

Partial View of Palace from Inside the Gardens

Another View of Palace from Inside Gardens with Partial View of a Fountain

It was getting close for the palace to open so I decided to exit the garden and get in line. As soon as I arrived in the main courtyard entrance the line was already formed so I just got behind the last person and it only grew from there, close to the street. 

Below is a picture of the main courtyard, which is right after the first security check, and to the right you will see a golden gate, but inside that gate is another courtyard that is accessible after a second security checkpoint.

Courtyard to Palace Entrance

To the left you will notice the letter A, which is the entrance for individual ticket holders, while entrance B is meant for tour groups, but more about that later.

Below, you will see the courtyard again, but from the side and to also enter the gardens.

Sideview of Palace in Courtyard Entrance

Courtyard Entrance to Gardens Entrance

As the time was getting closer for the palace to open the line started to move and an employee asked everyone to make a straight line and to separate into 2 separate lines for their respected timeslot, one for 9:00 and the other for 9:30. 

It didn't take long for the lines to become orderly but the line moved quickly as people started going into the palace where security started to scan their tickets.

Royal Courtyard

After about 10 minutes I was by the doors to the palace and I showed my ticket to the employee and he scanned my ticket. I then proceeded to security screening where I emptied my pockets of everything and took off my watch and placed them on top of the x-ray machine where other people placed their belongings who didn't have any bags. After going through the metal detector I took all of my belongings from the side of the x-ray machine and proceeded to the palace.

It took me about 65 minutes to explore the palace but it was just magnificent to see everything about it, besides the history, but it is worth the visit if you have time.

Below you will see a picture of the Queen's Bed Chamber which is part of the Queen's Apartments at the Palace of Versailles.

Queen's Bed Chamber

The Queen's Bed Chamber is part of the Queen's Apartments at the Palace of Versailles and whomever was Queen at the time had the choice of different styles and decorations. If the Queen at the time didn't like it then it would have been replaced.

Below should be a picture of the Noble's Room also belonging to the Queen's Apartments at the Palace of Versailles. This room could be described as a sitting or dressing room for the Queen and her friends when she had people over.

Noble's Room of Queen's Apartments

Besides the Queen's Apartments there is also the King's Apartment as well as another apartment known as the King's State's Apartment. The picture below is the Apollo Room of the King's State Apartment, which is considered the throne room and was designed as a ceremonial room.

The Apollo Room

Next you will see a room known as the Gallery of Great Battles, which simply depicts giant paintings of different battles fought by France that were deemed great.

Gallery of Great Battles

Below are two pictures inside the Palace of Versailles.

After finally touring the palace I went to find the exit and proceeded to the Gardens. Below is a picture indicating the way towards the exit.

Palace Exit Directions

The palace was magnificent and probably more since this was the second time I visited the palace and the third time I visited Versailles.

After finding the exit I went to the entrance of the gardens and waited in line. It took around maybe 15 minutes because there was only 2 or 3 booths open for people with reserved tickets. The other booths were for people who didn't purchase tickets for the gardens.

Below are 5 different pictures of the gardens below

This picture above is generally near the front after you get your ticket validated by an employee or after you purchase it.

This is another picture near the front of the gardens after you are allowed in. You can notice the large fountain and will see a glimpse of the palace.

Above, you will see the landscape of the gardens extending to the grand canal. If you choose you can rent a boat.

Here is a close up of the Grand Canal but you still have a distance to walk in order to get to it so I will suggest be prepared to sit down if you get tired.

On the path towards the Grand Canal is a green field of grass, but you will still need to probably walk another 15 minutes or so depending on how fast you are, if you are not that tired from walking already from the entrance.

A landscape view of a large fountain and the Grand Canal can be seen here in the picture above.

A view of the Grand Canal in the distance with people looking around. This isn't a closeup but close to the green field of grass.

This picture above was taken in one of the many mazes of the gardens. Nearby you can probably find some restaurants in one of these mazes but you have to walk to get there.

A picture of a fountain and the stairs in the distance. You can probably see the palace in the background but to get to this point you need to walk down the stairs.

This is a better picture of the view of the Grand Canal. You get to see more of the gardens because the lens was not zoomed in and this was taken when I was leaving the gardens so it was farther away from the other pictures.

Above you can see the palace and 2 fountains. If you don't want to buy a ticket for the palace this is a great photo just to look at it from inside of the gardens.

After getting to the Grand Canal I decided to head back to the front of the gardens so I could exit it, and that took about 15-20 minutes because I was tired and it was too hot.

I exited the garden through the exit gate. 

Now, I mentioned above about tour groups, and well there were many charter buses parked in the parking lot nearby, but this is probably because many people want to visit Versailles after the restrictions were lifted a while back. Also, the line to get inside was just too long after I exited the garden, going all the way to the start of the street. It was a memorable experience but if you want to visit Versailles you should reserve the timeslot at the first available time and then arrive an hour or no more than 30 minutes the Palace opens because you will be waiting if you visit in the afternoon.

After viewing the long line I left to go to the RER C and headed back to the apartment. It was a long morning, from touring the palace for over an hour and exploring the gardens for around 90 minutes and that includes just getting back to the exit, so it was time to head back.

 

The Louvre & Tuileries

On Wednesday, June 8, 2022 I went to the Louvre and then the Tuileries in Paris. I arrived in Paris, France on Sunday, May 29, 2022.

Security directed me and everyone else to the correct place. In the covered area only tour groups entered while individual ticket holders lined up outside by the Pyramides entrance.

While waiting in line it was raining so everyone was wearing a hoodie, using an umbrella, or putting plastic bags or ponchos over their clothes and belongings so no one would get wet.

A view of the Pyramides entrance from the street and Tuileries exit in the afternoon after I left the Louvre.

Unsurprisingly, there were also many people trying to sell small umbrellas while going to the correct line and while waiting to get inside.

I arrived for my reserved timeslot of 9:30 am around 20-30 minutes before, so I just waited in line by the Pyramides entrance, making sure to get in the proper line once I got out of the long queue line that everyone was waiting in. 

After waiting in the long queue line, everyone soon went to their separate timeslot lines, which wasn't as long but still a wait due to security. This is when people started to cover their clothes and belongings with ponchos and plastic bags.

Arriving at the first security check, I only had to show my ticket to some security or employee just so they could check for the correct time and day for the appointment. Then I went through the second security check, which was the typical metal detector and bag screening. I just placed anything in my pickets and anything else containing metal, including my watch, inside of a small backpack so I wouldn't have to bother with any hassle from the machine and screening.

After that I was inside the Pyramides and went around the exhibits.

It only took me about 90 minutes to tour the Louvre after I got inside even though some people take more time then that because they want to see the Mona Lisa, which I believe is overrated, as everyone wants to see it and it is always too crowded.

Instead, I saw ancient artifacts and toured Napoleon's apartment.

Entrance to Napoleon's apartments

If you look ahead you might see some type of pink carpeting or flooring. This is suppose to indicate you are entering Napoleon's apartments or least one room that is part of it. I forgot where this was but it's supposed to be part of the apartments because of the colors and flooring.

Inside the music room of Napoleon's apartment

If you notice, the music room still has an old piano behind the chairs. Also notice the details in the chairs and what Napoleon wanted everything to represent during his time as emperor.

The state dining room of Napoleon's apartment

The state dining room of Napoleon's apartment. Notice the reflection.

Imagine what it would have been like to eat in this place, especially if no one was ever visiting, but this is what was necessary to host dinner functions with other world leaders and politicians in order to entertain them and to get down to other important government business matters.

Anyway, as I was touring the apartments I got to the point that I was almost finished, so I exited the exhibit as soon as I found the exit at the end of the apartments.

I exited the exhibit and was back in the main exhibit hall lobby with all of the different areas people could enter.

I felt like I saw what I wanted to see at the Louvre so I left, but also due to there being too many people inside with too many tour groups everywhere and that would make it impossible to go anywhere else, but I didn't want to see anything else inside.

After leaving the main lobby of the Louvre it took a while to get to the metro, but I took the direct path from underneath the Louvre to Metro Line 1, and I decided to get off at the Tuileries station just because it was a while since I was there.

Near the Grand Bassin

As you can see here from the photo above, this is supposed to be the entrance to the Grand Bassin of the Tuileries, if I remember correctly. When you walk further you should see a fountain.

Jardin des Tuileries

Notice how green the grass is and the presence of all the flowers, trees, and shrubs. The Tuileries is a public garden of course and it is meant to represent something for the public.

Jardin des Tuileries

Jardin des Tuileries

When you look at the two photos above you might notice some stairs. These stairs will take you directly to the Louvre via the  Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.

Public Square to Louvre

After exiting the  Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel you will arrive on a public square shown in the picture above. In the picture below, you can see you will have to cross the street in order to get to the Louvre. Just wait for the traffic to clear the street if you choose to cross but it might take a while because many locals and tourists will travel here via bus or metro.

Crossing the street to the Louvre

As you can see in the photo above, there is an extended bus here, so it is nothing unusual to see, because this is part of the city center, which makes it normal, as there is a need for extended buses in the busier parts of the city.

Louvre Pyramides Entrance

Just after crossing the street you will be at the Pyramides entrance, which you might be able to line up if you find the line for your chosen reserved timeslot, but if you're too early you might have to wait, so you could just roam around and take some pictures. But if you arrive one hour before your reserved timeslot via this entrance as shown above you won't wait too long, since you would probably already skipped that long queue line, so just find the line for your reserved timeslot if you bought a ticket. From this entrance above it should be a shorter wait.

After arriving back at the Pyramides entrance I decided to leave so I looked for the exit (which was also the entrance of where the tour groups entered) and just left.

As I was leaving I noticed someone selling bottled water but I just went back to the metro and back to the apartment.