La Grande Roue as seen from Tuileries Gardens.
A Peek at the Wheel
Paris
Art Class on a Submarine
We took an open air boat tour on the Seine and passed by this island that looked like a submarine with trees growing out the top. The tour guide told us they have art classes there which you can see.
Cabaret De La Boheme
This cabaret and restaurant is in Montmartre, just east of Sacre Coeur. I was here in the very early morning. I had walked from Sacre Coeur to the cafe and found one lonlely coffee drinker setting outside. I suspect it is much more lively at night but I was never up late enough to find out.
Notre Dame
What’s a trip to Paris with a photo of Notre Dame. I took many of the cathedral but this one taken from a boat trip down the Seine is a little different.
Cite
We used the Paris subway system a lot during our stay. One of our favorites was Cite. It opened in 1910 and is one of the few with a surviving Art Nouveau entrance and stylish round lamps on the platforms. It is located under the Île de la Cité, the island in the Seine that contains the Notre Dame Cathedral which was our destination.
14th Arrondissement
There is a service called Paris Greeters that pair you with a local resident who speaks your language of choice. In our case we took a walking tour of the 14th district with Françoise Jamin who happened to be an english teacher. She was very knowledgeable and proud of this area where she and her husband live. The 14th district of Paris has a “village” atmosphere with many artists’ studios, shops, squares and a church built with the iron structures of the International Exhibition. This photo is representative of one of the residential streets in the 14th. Paris Greeters is a free service but they accept donations.
Sacré-Cœur
Sacré-Cœur is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre the highest point in Paris. This is a very popular tourist attraction and I wanted to photograph it without the crowds. I got there so early in the morning I was the only person there for about 30 minutes.
Trocadero
There is an elevator that goes to the top of the Eiffel Tower which is 986 feet high. Coming off the elevator you’re inside an enclosed area but a short stairway allows you to reach a platform that is outside. This shot of the Trocadero with the fountains in the foreground was taken from that platform. It was a windy day and the tower was moving enough that I had to increase the shutter speed to get this in focus.
The Tower
I have just returned from France in a jet lag haze with hundreds of photos to sort through, edit, and post. I visited three areas. Paris, Normandy, and the Loire Valley. Each area is unique and I will share photos that are majestic or simple, happy or emotional, colorful or black and white. Those of you that follow this blog may get tired of France and if you do please comment something like “enough of France”.
This is taken from the Place Debilly Bridge. I thought this bridge, far from the most beautiful in Paris, complemented the erector set nature of the Tower.
