Museums and churches do not allow flash photography limiting some opportunities.
The Seine in the foreground I'm strolling to the Louvre on my first morning
in Paris.
I'm about to cross the Pont du Carousel, just a short walk from my hotel on the Left Bank.
In the inner courtyard of the Louvre, the larger of the two pyramids serves as the
main extrance, located one full floor below the pavement.
The first stone was laid in 1163 AD by Pope Alexander III and completion took 130 years.
The Cathedral, begun by Maurice de Sully, replaced an ancient sixth-century church built on the ruins of the Roman Temple of Jupiter
Sully was Bishop of Notre Dame for thirty six years but did not live to see the building completed.
Thomas à Becket was among those who saw the church during construction, then returning to
England only to be murdered in his own Canterbury Cathedral. This scene was outside Notre Dame on Armistice Day - November 12.
There had just been an observance for World War One dead including the ringing of the Cathedral's bells.
A detail in the corner of the Cathedral of the centuries-old stonework arches and carving.
Watching the candles being lit in a quiet corner of the very crowded Cathedral, I turned to move on
and saw in front of me on the wall a plaque noting that construction had begun in 1163 AD There aren't
words to describe the feeling - suddenly all the crowds seemed to disappear from view and I felt like I was
alone with nearly a thousand years of history. Paris is full of moments like this that just take your breath away -
the beauty and grandeur of the City is overwhelming.
Inside the grounds of the Palais de Justice on the Île de la Cité is the Sainte-Chapelle,
begun by Louis IX in 1246 AD to house Christ's purported Crown of Thorns and other relics. Construction was completed in six years.
It's difficult to photograph on a good day, but this was the end of a gray day. Surrounded on three side by these windows
nearly fifty feet high and dating from the Thirteenth Century, the feeling is indescribable. On a bright sunny day in early afternoon they are dazzling.
The windows were removed and stored safely during World War Two. I saw them for the first time in 1960.
Musée de l'Orangerie
The Musée de l'Orangerie was built to house the large paintings of
Claude Monet (1840-1926) of the water lillies - Les Nymphéas - painted at Giverny.
The Tuilleries as they have appeared for the last three or four centuries - only the
fence and the incline are changed. The Rue de Rivoli is in the background.
The lobby of l'Orangerie, newly remodeled. Beyond is the line for entry and in the distance
the Place de Concorde.
The Museum is very crowded at times, this was a Wednesday afternoon in the off season.
Dennis
The water lillies - Les Nymphéas - were painted at Monet's studio at Giverny where he lived
outside of Paris. The Museum was built especially to house the large paintings.
Another section of the Nymphéas.
Another view.
.....and another
Here I am, from my expression I'd say I was pretty overwhelmed by what I was seeing.
Les Tuilleries from almost any century. The following picture, also of the Tuilleries
is taken from a third floor window of the far building facing - Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs,
a part of the Louvre. The gold dome to the left is Les Invalides, which contains Napoleon's tomb.
Another view of the Tuilleries and the Tour d'Eiffel
And to the right in the same view, the Rue de Rivoli, looking toward the Avenue des Champs Élysées. In the distance can be seen the tall buildings of the
newer commercial center of Paris - La Défense - in the area of Neuilly.
Dennis in front of l'Orangerie. The Tuilleries in the background, and the
Rue de Rivoli in the distance.