Finally we reached the Louvre museum after a long walk from the Eiffel Tower down the Seine. This is the place where the most popular and the precious paintings by Leonardo de Vinci are housed. It was a long queue in the ticket counters, although there were many more ticket counters. We entered the museum in the late afternoon. By this time, the charge of the camera battery was exhausted. Haah !! What to do. Lot of unmatched sculptures are there to take the photos!
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In front of the Eiffel tower |
I was searching for an electric plug point where I can get my camera bettery charged. In one of the gallaeries, I could see so many plug points at the floor level and a security guard siting close by. I approached the security personnel and told my problem. If I cannot click a photograph the trip will be a flop. Although he refused first, but understood later and allowed me to charge the battery. I was very happy and immediately started charging. It was 5 local time in the evening. The security personnel went for a tea break asking me to sit in his chair. It was going well. Roughly after 15-20 minutes, an alert was sirened and a group of 3-4 security officers in uniform (probably holding higher ranks) rushed to the gallery with sophisticated security equipments and started combing the room. They saw my battery charger lying under a table and the glowing red light indicator. They yelled who is he owner of the battery charger. I came forward and owned the responsibility of the battery charging act! They quizzed me in French first, later in poor English, checked my passport and the authenticated entry ticket. They asked me to remove the charger immediately from the plug point, charging is not allowed inside the museum. The visitors around the gallery stared at me. The red light indicator of the battery charger was caught with their CCTV camera installed in each and every corner of the museum. It was a horrible experience. I removed the battery charger, somehow the battery got charged for 20 minutes :) and ready for the photoshots in front of the famous and much hyped “Monalisa”. Monalisa could not cast any impression on me.
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In front of Louvre museum |
This is not the last drama on battery charging, it followed me to paster for the second time same day late evening on the first floor of the Eiffel tower. That is another more hammering and horrible experience for me!
The camera battery again got exhausted at the time of taking the photographs with the Eiffel tower. But I had yet to climb the tower to take the photographs from the top. We got the ticket after waiting in the queue for more than one and half hours at 8.30 evening. The laser show already started. At the first floor, I saw many shops and restaurants. A very young girl was the shopkeeper in one of the artifacts selling shops. I approachd her for charging my camera battery. She immediately allowed me to charge. I was pretty happy. I moved out of the shop telling her that I would collect the battery after half an hour and we were roaming and enjoying around in the first floor.
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With Monalisa in Luvre |
We came back to the shop to collect the charged battery. But it gave me severe shock. A middle aged lady was sitting in the cash counter instead of the young girl, who, I gave the battey, is accountable. I asked the lady for the battery, she does not understand English properly, another problem before me. She denied that I did not give any battery to her for charging. Even I didn't see any battery being chareged there. I started pressing her, met another Indian in the same shop, asked for his support. But the Indian didn't pay much attention, he smiled and went away. For a couple of minutes, the fight went on and on, and the lady was trying to defend herself in wretched English leaving the customers behind.
At the same time, a young girl came to the shop and saw the fight. The lady told the young girl about the story in French. This young girl happened to be the same girl to whom I gave the charger. This is a different shop, the young girl said, from the one where I kept the battery for charging, but with the same look and feel, same sellable craft items. I apologized the old lady for what happened. The young girl took me to her shop and showed me the charging battery. It still was in the same place and connected to the same plug. I thanked her and collected the battery. I was bit relaxed and had a new experience. Started clicking the photographs from the Eiffel tower with greater entho & ardor than before and enjoyed the late evening on the Eiffel.
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