Westminster Abbey
Big Ben peeking out from behind the trees.
Westminster Abbey - the entrance
Tom and the London Eye. I have no idea what he's looking at, I just liked the city scene behind him.
Big Ben, the infamous black taxicabs, and a double decker bus - so London.
Tom, Jonathan, and Big Ben. Jonathan insists on making faces.
I just liked this shot.
Inside Parliament waiting to go into the House of Commons
Borat aka Jonathan in front of the Kazakhstan embassy.
A really cool column (I forgot who it is)
Nelson column in Trafalgar Square
The last time we were here this was all covered up with scaffolding so we couldn't see it.
Cool lion at the base of the Nelson Column in Trafalgar Square
Jonathan making a face yet again.
Trafalgar Square from steps of the British National Gallery
Trafalgar Square from the National Gallery - note Big Ben in the distance.
Arc de Triomphe, Paris
It is MUCH larger than we had imagined.
The crazy traffic in the roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe
As you can see, it's quite the tourist attraction.
Tomb of the Unknown, Arc de Triomphe
It really is massive!
Looking down the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe toward the Obelisk, the Jardin des Tuileries, and the Louvre.
Looking down the Champs-Élysées in the opposite direction toward La Defense
Les Halles - a "mall" beneath street level in the heart of Paris. This was once the location of the central market of Paris.
Forum des Halles
The church in the background is Église Saint-Eustache - a really gorgeous church.
"Why are you taking my picture?"
I just love the contrasting architecture.
Just in front of the Forum des Halles
Isn't this cool with all the vines growing on the structure? It was really beautiful.
Typical Parisian street scene
Outdoor cafe, bunch of motorbikes, narrow streets, Napoleanic architecture - Paris.
This is when it really struck me that I was in Paris. The Louvre.
The place is indescribably enormous.
Yet another face. I don't remember what Tom was eating.
I kept trying to find a shot that would capture how large the Louvre is, but it's just not possible from the ground.
Does this really need a caption?
Isn't the architecture just gorgeous?
I love this shot.
How cool is this - The Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and the Eiffel Tower, all in one shot.
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel - Not nearly as large as the Arc de Triomphe, yet every bit as amazing and beautiful.
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel - made in 1806-08, commissioned by Napolean I to commemorate France's military victories in 1805.
The stupid light pole wrecks this shot, but it's as much of the Louvre as I could capture without a wide angle lens, and without going back another 100 yards.
Here's all the info about the Arc de triomphe du Carrousel. You just need to be able to read French.
See what all I couldn't capture in that other photo?
The bridges along the Seine just MAKE Paris. You see the Grand Palais in the background (the glass roofed building) as well as the Pont Alexandre III (the bridge with the gold statues on it)
Musée d'Orsay. We didn't go inside, unfortunately.
Another look down the Seine toward the Grand Palais
See those two columns sticking up in the distance in the middle of the shot? One guess what that is. (Hint: "Sanctuary!")
Photo from same spot as previous, only not zoomed in.
We never did walk down on those walkways, though we had planned to do so.
The Musée d'Orsay again. Funny, that VW Passat in the photo looks just like ours.
These bateaux ply the Seine, filled with tourists. It seems like it would be fun to go on one.
I thought the red brick building was really beautiful.
Les Bouquinistes - along the Seine you find these sellers of used books, LPs, postcards, etc. Each bouquiniste is given four boxes, all of a specified size, and rent is paid only for the stone on which the boxes rest (less than €100 per year). The most coveted spots are awarded based on seniority. Maintenance costs, including the required vert wagon paint (the green color of old train cars), are paid by the bouquinistes. With little overhead, prices are usually cheaper than in most shops. While these days, tourists prefer magnets and posters over vintage books, the city "officially" allows no more than one box of souvenirs for every three boxes of books. Bouquinistes must be open at least four days a week. The waiting list to become one of Paris' 250 bouquinistes is eight years.
Les Bouquinistes
Walking along the Seine
That's the Louvre in the background.
This was a very busy section of our walk along the Seine. The intersection ahead was filled with young people at night.
Typical Paris street - cafe on the corner, lots of people walking everywhere, and with a purpose. The French walk FAST!
Tom and Jonathan watching a swarm of police officers outside the Palais de Justice. There must have been some major court case going on.
Palais de Justice
I will lay you odds that the guy in blue is NOT French. The French are NOT overweight.
This neighborhood/intersection gets very busy in the evenings. It is surrounded by cafes, neat little shops, and filled with students.
Now do you recognize those towers? Notre Dame de Paris.
We sat on the bridge near Notre Dame and people watched. This pair was quite entertaining. The pants on the guy in yellow were so low I don't know what kept them up.
If I remember correctly, the line you see forming is for "the best ice cream in Paris". We were going to try some, but never got the chance.
It is such a beautiful structure!
This was a little cafe on a boat on the Seine.
I love flying buttresses.
The beautiful rosette window.
I'm sure that guy is wondering what the heck I'm taking a picture of. "Not you, buddy!" I think I was just trying to capture the scene. Note the people eating baguettes on the left.
The Honourable Artillery Open House, London, England
Le Tour Eiffel. Honestly, you cannot tell how huge it is from photos. Even in person it's hard to grasp just how huge it is.
Jonathan with a message for his girlfriend in this and the two following photos.
That's a heart, in case you couldn't figure it out.
See how small the cars are in the distance? It is enormous!
Looking back at the Palais de Chaillot. There was apparently going to be some big concert or something because they were setting up this huge stage with screens, speakers, etc. That's the black thing you see in the middle between the two buildings.
The base of the Eiffel Tower with L'Ecole Militaire in the background.
Tom trying to grasp it's hugeness.
At the base of each leg is a ticket booth where you buy tickets for the elevator to the top. You can take stairs that go to the second level for free, if you want to climb the 668.
Gendarmes in the plaza under the Eiffel Tower. These guys are everywhere, but are very subdued.
How much do you want to bet these guys are LDS missionaries?
Stopped at a sidewalk cafe for a glass of wine and a beer.
Notice how close to the Palais de Chaillot we are. As you might imagine, the prices reflected our proximity to the Eiffel Tower.
Typical French cafe customers - cigarettes and drink.
Guess who?
The Louvre itself (let alone its collections) is incredible inside! The ceilings are gilt and painted and amazing.
The Coronation of Napolean - the famous painting, another version of which hangs at Versailles.
Winged Victory
The Raft of the Medusa by Theodore Gericault
La Mort de Sardanapale by Delacroix
The Death of the Virgin - Caravaggio Caravaggio is my favorite artist. When I walked into this wing of the Louvre, I literally cried. All the Italian artists I studied in college were on display here. I never in my life thought I'd get to see them in real life. It was very emotional and overwhelming for me.
Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione by Raphael
John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinco
The Virgin of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci
Maestà by Cimabue - Giotto's teacher and the first great artist of the Italian Renaissance. This was painted in 1270 AD!
The Coronation of the Virgin, Fra Angelico
The Crucifixion from the Atelier de Giotto (Studio of Giotto). Painted by one of Giotto's students.
Painted Cross - Giotto (probably). This could have been done by a student of Giotto's, but some historians attribute it to him.
Basically this says that this is by Giotto, or his studio, and that at the summit of the cross is the Pelican, the symbol of charity and resurrection; on the left of Christ is St. John the Evangelist, and to his right is the Virgin. It goes on to say that such a monumental cross was suspended across a chapel or a church choir, above the altar.
St. John Receiving the Stigmata - Giotto
This says that, despite the presence of Giotto's signature, this work was often contested as being his. Today, most specialists have reaffirmed him as the artist.
Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels with St. Frediano and St. Augustine (The Barbadori Altarpiece) - Fra Filippo Lippi
" Portrait of a Man" and "The Virgin and Child" by Botticelli
The Virgin and Child - Botticelli
The Virgin and Child with a young John the Baptist - Botticelli
One of the amazing, gilded wings of Le Musee du Louvre
Louis XIV portrait at The Louvre
Ceiling at The Louvre
Some of the Crown Jewels in The Louvre
This says this was the necklace and earrings of the Empress Marie-Louise presented to her at the time of their marriage by Napolean I.
These belonged to the daughter of Marie Antoinette
Breathtaking! These belonged to Queen Marie-Amélie
Crown belonging to Empress Eugénie
Hall filled with portraits of the kings and queens of France
Falcon from 359 BC
Profile of Ramses VI - 1126 BC
Part of the Egyptian wing of the Louvre
1350 BC
This courtyard full of sculptures was so cool!
Rembrandt - Bathsheba at her Bath
Rembrandt self portraits
Pan - 2nd Century BC
Donatello - The Virgin and Infant
Base of the Eiffel Tower
Looking down at The Trocadero from the top of the Eiffel Tower
Paris from the top of The Eiffel Tower
Les Invalides from the top of The Eiffel Tower (the gold-domed building)
Le Grand Palais from The Eiffel Tower
The Seine, Le Grand Palais, The Tuileries, The Louvre from the top of The Eiffel Tower
Les Invalides on the right, Les Grand Palais on the left, The Louvre in the middle distance.
The Louvre in the middle of the photo, zoomed from the top of the Eiffel Tower
Place de l'Etoile and the Arc du Triomphe
Same shot as before, just not zoomed in.
The Pantheon is the domed buliding in the middle right.
Les Invalides and the Church of the Golden Dome
This is such a beautiful city!
On top of the Eiffel Tower
Jonathan refuses to make a decent face when I'm taking his photo.
Finally, a decent photo of Jonathan
The Siene from the Eiffel Tower. I just love this view.
There was a soccer practice going on below us. It was fun to watch.
Closer look at that soccer practice.
That's the Trocadero on the lower right. You can see that huge stage setup between the Palais and the fountain.
Canberra was the farthest point from the Eiffel Tower
Basilica Sacre Coeur on Montmartre in the distance.
Same shot, not zoomed.
The gold dome is Les Invalides where Napolean is buried.
Another shot of Les Invalides without Jonathan's fingers.
That bridge with the golden statues on it is Pont Alexandre III. It is gorgeous at night. The big long building behind the bridge is the Louvre.
One of the flywheels on the Eiffel Tower's elevator. The elevator system is the original system from 1890.
The Arc de Triomphe. I think we're at the second level (as opposed to being at the top)
The Palais de Chaillot from the second level with La Defense in the distance
Les Invalides from the second level
Proof I was actually there.
Les Invalides
The guys walking in front of Les Invalides
The view toward Pont Alexandre III
Gate into Les Invalides
Pont Alexandre III with the Grand Palais on the left
Les Invalides from Pont Alexandre III
Walking across the bridge toward Le Grand Palais
Such a gorgeous bridge!
They were doing a photo shoot with this famous French model.
That's her with her hair swept to the side. Didn't recognize her.
Grand Palais
The Obelisk at Place de la Concorde at one end of the Champs Elysees
Another view of the Place de la Concorde with the Jardin des Tuileries in the background
One of the tunnels on the Champs Elysees like the one in which Princess Diana died. The tunnel she died in is about 1.5 miles from here.
Gee, can you guess what street this is? Champs Elysees looking toward the Arc de Triomphe. Crazy traffic.
And turn in the opposite direction and, voila! The Eiffel Tower!
Le Louvre from Les Jardin des Tuileries
Fountain in the Jardin des Tuileries at the Louvre
Sculpture in the Tuileries garden
Carrousel de Louvre
Palais Garnier - The National Opera
The church in the distance is Ste Chappelle
Conciergerie and the Palais de Justice. Basically, the Ile de Cite
The wares to be had from the stalls that line both sides of the Seine
The Conciergerie - once a palace. The place Marie Antoinette was imprisoned.
A beautiful street along the Seine with all sorts of flower and garden shops
Looking down the Seine toward the Eiffel Tower
In this square between streets was this "stand" selling birds of all kinds.
A gazillion canaries!
Inside Notre Dame
Jonathan did this "where will the bear go next?" web page for his girlfriend. He took photos of this bear (she calls him Jon the Bear) in various locations. Here he is enjoying some wine in the rain in front of Les Invalides.
We were waiting for dark to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle. Paris really is lovely at night.
Pont Alexandre III at night.
I stood in the little island in the middle of the street to get this photo of Les Invalides.
Inside a metro station. They have THE BEST metro system ever!
Looking out the bedroom window of the apartment we stayed in.
Another view out the bedroom window. Just a slice of Parisian life.
Bedroom
This is the "yard" of the next building. The wire in the foreground is to keep pigeons off the window sill.
Still looking out the bedroom window.
Jonathan emailing or IMing his girlfriend from the apartment living room.
The bathroom. Small, but functional.
The kitchen. Very small, but it worked out just fine for us. I wouldn't want to LIVE in a place with a kitchen this small, but for a week long stay it was great.
This is the view out the living room window. They were redoing the plaster on the building, hence the scaffolding. This window is on the opposite side of the apartment from the bedroom. We actually enter through a doorway to the street in the building you see here, then walk through a sort of courtyard to the doorway to this building, then go up 3 flights of stairs to the apartment.
Hmmmm... could this be the infamous Moulin Rouge?
The Bear listening to his iPod at Le Moulin Rouge.
The Moulin Rouge is surrounded by an interesting array of shops - note the sign under Palace Video. It's an interesting neighborhood, and doesn't feel at all unsafe or creepy. There are just a lot of sex shops all around.
Inside Le Moulin Rouge
This is the foyer of the Moulin Rouge
The "unique" neighborhood surrounding the Moulin Rouge
One of the tamer shop windows. You can see Jonathan in the reflection.
I love that there was this neat little park right in the middle of two streets. All sorts of people were just sitting, enjoying the day.
Famous Pigalle
Road leading to Sacre Coeur
Zoomed in shot of Sacre Coeur
Unzoomed
It is a gorgeous building in person - much more beautiful than photos can depict.
The guys resting before the climb
The Bear at the foot of Montmartre
The view of Paris from the first "landing" leading to the church
Notice the "statue"?
You weren't supposed to take photos inside the church. There was a guy at the entrance admonishing people who ignored the sign. I had to be very sneaky. Fortunately, my camera has a no flash high sensitivity mode, so I got away with a few shots.
Tom was blocking the guy from seeing me taking this shot. :)
I just liked this building.
Hotel Jonathan stayed in for first four weeks in Paris.
These Smart cars are everywhere! Notice how close the guy behind him is parked? Usually, there is a car in front parked equally as close!
Just a typical Parisian street corner.
Stopping to have an espresso, maybe a beer, and take in Parisian life.
Jon the Bear enjoying a beer
Nachos at the Hard Rock, Paris
The Bear taking a ride on the Metro
