paris....

Due to space constraints, these photos are temporarily unavailable.

My long lost city. Three days there was simply overwhelming.

I saw most of what I wanted to very briefly, the Latin Quater, Nôtre Dame, l'Opéra, the Louvré, Pont Neuf.

I have a large collection of images that you may wish to peruse.

// View from our hotel
// a famous church
// my first view of l'opera
// l'opera in winter
// yours truly at the top of the front steps
// statue of dance on the facade
// the grand staircase as you enter from the ticket booth
// yours truly again on the stairs
// the dragon I keep telling people about
// statue under the stairs
// the rotunda (my flash is reflected back from the far side)
// alcove to the right of the rotunda
// unlabeled loge, suspect one of these may have been box five but..
// a door labelled loge 5 and loge 9, a single entrance?
// not my photo, but a card from l'opera, of the grand foyer
// the front balcony
// statue that lines the foyer, obvious inspiration for the candelabra of the lair in poto

I did not take any photos while inside Nôtre Dame, I was simply overawed. I wept openly while lighting a candle, perhaps my catholic ancestors were there with me. I am a cynic, not an agnostic, nor aethiest, but definately do not follow a religion per say, yet I felt the power in that building.

A place where people had worshipped and died and prayed and hoped and hid for hundreds of years. Who could help but react the way I did when you come from a country with so few relics older that 150 years? Yes, there is an occasional site unearthed, but nothing that says this is what we believe, come all and see our faith and majestey.

The Louvré actually allowed us to take photos inside the buildings. We had our bags x-rayed, as a matter of course but they allowed our cameras through. One hesitates to say they were searching for bombs or other weapons.

I hope to scan some of these photos soon.