pootling

Pont des Arts

This is the bridge where lovers attach two padlocks, linked together to the bridge, and then throw the key in the seine. Indeed, you can see some of the padlocks on the railings, especially on the right.

Window

A slightly different view of the southernmost rose window at Notre Dame.

Stained Glass

Taken from inside Notre Dame

Heads

You’ll obviously be able to recognise the face of the David on the bottom left (apparently). The others are some of the lesser known Kings of Judah, including that well-known one in the bottom right who was renowned for not looking the right way in photos.

Headless Kings

No cephalophores here. These are the Kings of Judah which used to stand on the front of Notre Dame before, during the revolution, people took them to be the Kings of France and dragged them off to destroy them. They’re currently in the Musee du Moyen Age in Paris.

Morning in Montmartre

We got there earlier enough both to eat some breakfast, and avoid the hordes of tourists that descend slightly later in the morning. Also, that shop on the left looks much better here than it did a few moments later when it put all of its tourist tat on show.

Louvre Escalators

It might not be quite the art that the Louvre is famous for, but the architecture of the Puget escalators in the Richelieu wing is really beautiful.

Abbesses

This is one of only three remaining Hector Guimard designed original entrances. It was orignally at Hotel de Ville. I love the design of the Paris Metro.

Morning at Sacre Coeur

This was probably the nicest weather we had for the whole week. It was still freezing cold though.

The Venus de Milo

The Louvre’s other main attraction is almost as underwhelming as its first (the Mona Lisa, clearly). That’s not to say that the Louvre is not full to bursting with amazing items and artworks, it’s just that the two it’s most famous for really aren’t that great.

Eiffel Tower

This was taken first thing in the morning. Mostly the people around us were joggers, or one rather strange man doing what looked liked some sort of calisthenics type yoga thing, wearing a large coat.

Notre Dame

It was a bit less cloudy on the day I took this picture. It was also much, much colder.

Paris

Also, fact fans, this is taken from the bridge near where Princess Diana carped it.

The gothic exterior of Sainte Chapelle is almost as impressive as the interior.

Sainte Chapelle is much better known for its rather stunning windows in the upper chapel. However, I rather like the gold and blue of the ceiling in the lower chapel.