Arc de Triomphe

Versailles Symmetry II

Versailles Symmetry I

Halls of Saint-Sulpice

View from Arc de Triomphe

Speaking of stereotypical tourist views with very little room for original composition that I couldn't resist taking…though I did get stopped by a few people when they realized I was not using a digital camera.

Gargoyle of Notre Dame

Locations like this kind of drive me nuts. Its a very compelling view on top of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame but it is so limited in composition choices…or time to do anything. I guess a nice stereotypical vacation picture every now and again never hurt anyone either.

Allégorie de la victoire sur l'Espagne

This statue is found on the edge of the Golden Gates at the entrance to Versailles. It is known as the Allégorie de la victoire sur l'Espagne (or Allegory of the Victory over Spain)

Pillars in Paris

This is also in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The obelisk once stood at the entrance to the Luxor in Egypt but was given to France in 1829. Its gold hat and the base are new additions but everything else is pushing 3,400 years old. The Eiffel Tower also makes for a pretty distinct inclusion to the history and skyline of Paris. Not much is known about this lamppost. I thought it complemented the other two nicely though.

Les Fontaines

This is the Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation in the Place de la Concorde. This is Paris's largest square and it sits between the Champs-Élysées to the west and the Tuileries Garden to the east. This was the calm before the storm…literally! We got wet.

Père Lachaise

Père Lachaise is the largest cemetery in Paris. Resting place of many notable people: Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Félix Nadar and François Arago (for the photo history crowd), Jacques-Louis David, Gertrude Stein, Frédéric Chopin, Georges Seurat and Molier. This is the tomb of none of the above. Not sure who's tomb it is actually. The cross in the lower left is what is left of a broken chair sitting on the floor. The upper right cross is a reverse shadow that at first glance seemed to be left by the chair before it broke. (Though the shapes don't quite match up) Regardless, I found it to be a simple and evocative scene.

Inverse Pyramids

Spoiler Alert!!! If you haven't read Dan Brown's book or seen the Da Vinci Code movie then you may not want to know this is where the Holy Grail (aka Mary Magdalene) is buried. I used to like the idea. How cool of a conspiracy theory to have buried one of the most legendary women of all time in one of the most prestigious museums in the world. Nope! Mr Brown failed to mention that the inverse pyramids happen to be in a shopping mall that is also an entrance to said prestigious museum. There is just something about anything being in a mall that takes the mystique right out of it. That being said, this just may be my favorite picture I have ever taken in a mall.

Obstructed View

Poodle Bush

There is nothing like a quick walk through the gardens of Versailles to forever doubt your gardening abilities.

Fountains of Versailles

Tower in Trees

I warned of the potential for many pictures of the Eiffel Tower…Here is yet another of the forewarned views.

Church and State

Here is another view of the Château de Pierrefonds just outside of Paris. We paddled a giant swan around this lake (Actually Rick and Mac paddled and me and Chelsie sat in the back taking pictures and cracking jokes) and then enjoyed eating some wonderful crepes as we sat on a patio at the edge of the water. All this with relatively few tourists (besides us) to destroy the experience. Sorry Paris, I think I enjoyed the ambience of Pierrefonds better.

Tour Eiffel II

I hope the few people who follow this blog don't mind the Eiffel Tower because I fear I may end up posting several images of it. It is such a prominent landmark it was easy to keep letting myself be drawn to it visually. I still have more film to develop so I'm sure I will end up with with more. Funny that the Parisians initially were skeptical about it and wanted to tear it down only for it to be saved due to it use as a very effective radio antenna. Hitler even ordered it to be torn down when the Germans occupied Paris during World War II. (Luckily not all of his ordered were obeyed) Now it would be hard to imagine Paris without it. 

Merlins Stallion

Speaking of magic, welcome to the Château de Pierrefonds. This will be recognized by many as Camelot from the BBC TV series Merlin. This place was truly magical. My tip to all that travel: make time to visit areas that aren't on the must see lists for tourists. This place was far more magical than most places I visited in Paris. In Paris I didn't feel as free to soak in where I was because most sites have become mere spectacles overrun with throngs of other tourists trying to experience/share on social media pictures of themselves in front of/talk really loudly/etc. Here at Pierrefonds the few tourists we encountered were speaking french. We ate crepes on the edge of a lake with this large castle looming above. We then paddled a swan around the Lilly filled lake. Then we pulled out cameras and started to explore. The magic of Merlin was here.

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

Tour Eiffel

One of my favorite classroom settings ever. I took a group of our study abroad students out for a sunset at this spot and had lessons about exposure and mixing ambient and natural lighting while photographing architecture and cityscapes. I am the teacher who feels that being in a traditional classroom is the least effective place to learn. Viva la France!