A day in Paris

[unchatenfrance]

God bless the TGV (when it’s actually on time) for allowing me to cross the country in three hours. I only went there for a day just to give the main sites a once-over; I figured the museums haven’t changed a whole lot in 2 years. But of course, attempting to do Paris on foot in one day is tourist suicide, as my broken flip-flops will attest. Nevertheless, I did a nice loop from the Hôtel de Ville, to the island and across the river, over to the Tower, across the river, and then through the Louvre back to the Hôtel de Ville. And I’m happy to report that they’ve finally finished restoring Notre Dame - it is now completely scaffold-free and gleaming white. There’s a bunch of crap going on in front of the Louvre, however, so I guess you can’t have everything.

The gargoyles and Sacré-Cœur:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris005.jpg

View of Sainte-Chapelle (the spire), the Louvre, and the Triumphal Arch from Notre Dame:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris009.jpg

Dome church and Tower from Notre-Dame:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris013.jpg

Me in front of the lovely restored Notre-Dame:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris027.jpg

Super-scary Charlemagne:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris029.jpg

Pantheon seen from a side street:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris036.jpg

Luxembourg gardens:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris038.jpg

Getting ready for the big day:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris041.jpg

Dome church and garden:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris044.jpg

Ze tower:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris047.jpg

Alexander III Bridge and Dome church:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris049.jpg

Dan Brown, eat your heart out:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris055.jpg

For HP fans:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris056.jpg

The quirky side of Paris - Pompidou centre and Stravinsky fountain:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a329/unchatenfrance/Paris057.jpg