The Paris photos have finally been posted-- 2+ months after the vacation occurred, but hey, what are you going to do? Besides the sheer exhaustion that always comes with the end of a vacation, some external distractions were waiting for us back in Germany around that time, so getting around to posting these took longer than usual.Despite a couple minor irritants on this trip, Paris is still one of the great cities of the world, and well worth your time. All that talk about rude Parisians is simply not true-- in 3 separate visits, I have yet to meet a single individual who hasn't been polite, professional and helpful. Yes, it certainly helps to have a basic understanding of the language (even knowing a couple simple French phrases is a huge plus, though nearly everybody speaks English), and being respectful of these very proud people and this capitol of culture is always the right move. Negatives? Like I said, pretty minor in the grand scheme of things as a tourist, but the city (particularly the Metro/subway stations) seemed a lot more gritty this time out (though in all fairness, a lot of Metro stations are in the midst of reconstruction), and hokey smokes this town has gotten crazy expensive since our last visit of a mere 2 years ago. But unlike some of the cities we've been to and seen where one visit was enough (cough cough, Berlin), I fully expect that we'll be regularly returning to Paris for the rest of our days-- it really is a magical place, and very close to our hearts.
The photo link follows at the bottom, and as before you have the option of running the photos as a slideshow, or going into each photo and progressing at your own pace. I've spent some time adding captions and descriptions to about 90% of these photos, and I do hope you avail yourselves to this research and travelogue of mine. A lot of the factual and historical information came from one reference source in particular, and as a personal recommendation for any travelers, I can not recommend the fantastic Eyewitness Travel books (aka DK Guides) highly enough-- they are simply the best, wonderfully written, thoroughly researched, regularly updated, with true "insiders tips" sprinkled throughout. The DK Paris book allowed us to explore a Paris that was off the beaten path, and just as fascinating as the major attractions. Great stuff.
Check out the photos by using the link at the right side of the page, or simply click here. Your comments and questions are always welcome. Enjoy!
2 comments:
Nice pics -- my favorites are the gargoyle ones overlooking the cloudy city.
Did you visit the Jewish quarter -- the Marais -- at all? That was a new discovery for us on our last trip. We really dug it.
Cliff: The Marais rocks-- easily one of the coolest sections of Paris. We ate at L'As du Falafel for breakfast(?!), wandered its many back streets, and B had herself a ball shopping (both window and for real). Thanks for reading!
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