Paris

“One place suits one person, another place suits another person. For my part, I prefer to live in the country, like Timmy Willie.”
― Beatrix Potter

This summer, I had the trip of a lifetime, as I had the opportunity to spend two weeks in France.  I have never been to Europe before, so the anticipation for this trip built the entire year that my friends and I planned the trip.  Our first stop on this amazing trip was Paris.  My traveling companions and I spent three days in Paris.

The first day of our stay was spent exploring a bit while completely exhausted from the travel, waiting for time to check into our hotel so that we could recharge and get cleaned up.

While we waited, we had our first breakfast in Paris.  Breakfast became a favorite time of day.  The fresh breads and pastries were delightful.

Breakfast, and most meals, were eaten in the cafes.  Seating was available both inside an outside of the cafes.  In the evenings, the chairs were stacked waiting to be set out again the next morning.

We spent two days touring Paris using the Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tours Big Bus.  We found this to be an excellent way to travel throughout the city while learning about it.  Each passenger was given headphones.  You could plug in the headphones to learn about the sights you were seeing.  Passengers could get off at stops along the way to further investigate areas on foot.

We saw many beautiful sights while riding on the Big Bus.  The architecture throughout the city is absolutely stunning.

When traveling, it is not always possible to be at a certain location at optimal times for photography.  My one opportunity to photograph the Eiffel Tower was during midday, a time typically avoided by photographers.  Since I knew it was my one and only time to photograph the Eiffel Tower, I did the best I could with the conditions that were present.

Near the Eiffel Tower, we stopped to see Flamme de la Liberté, the Flame of Liberty.  The Flame of Liberty is a replica of the torch held by The Statue of Liberty.  It symbolizes the French-American friendship.  It is also the unofficial Memorial for Diana, Princess of Wales, who lost her life in the tunnels located near the monument.

Although I photographed many of the famous sights that I learned about during the bus tour, it was the more intimate scenes along the way that I enjoyed photographing the most.

These chairs lined the road to the  Arc de Triomphe.  It made me wonder what the spectators who took a seat in these chairs would be witnessing.

My eye was drawn to the chandelier in the window of this eating establishment.

The colors and textures of this door were simply irresistible and begged to be captured in a photograph.

I think my favorite image that I took in Paris was one of a place where many advertisements are displayed and then removed.

Paris was my first stop in France, but not my favorite stop.  I became much more comfortable in my surroundings as we moved away from the big city.  I find that I do my best photography when I am comfortable.

If I ever have the opportunity to revisit Paris, I will make sure to leave my gear behind a day or two so that I can fully experience the museums and cultural experiences that cannot be explored while carrying a backpack and tripod.  I will also take more photographs of the food.  The food was not only delicious, the presentation of the dishes was incredible.

Once home, I couldn’t resist making one composite.

So, now, we will leave Paris.  I look forward to sharing the other parts of France I was able to visit this summer.  If you are not already a subscriber, I hope you will consider subscribing to continue the travels through France with me.