around Paris, part 2

It was still quite early after our leisurely walk through Jardin du Luxembourg, so we walked on to do a little souvenir shopping near the Sorbonne.

This turned out to be one of the best buys of the trip, though my uncle insisted there were cheaper places (which we never found).

We took our time and meandered towards Notre Dame, noting ruefully that thousands of others had the same idea. It was Sunday, after all, and the grounds were thick with tourists. Beginninghere is going to do a series based on my photos of Notre Dame for a school project, so I will post just a few highlights. I was overwhelmed by the rich detail that seemed crammed into every square foot of this famous cathedral.

I don’t recall the colorfulness of the side alcoves along the nave when I visited last.

The south rose window depicts scenes from the New Testament in magnificent detail. Keep in mind that it reaches just over 42 feet in diameter. If you click on the image, a new window will open with a larger version.

By now, it was nearing lunch time. As we headed over to St. Séverin, we stopped in on a smaller cathedral and admired its unique lines.

Look at the teardrop shapes of the stained glass window behind the pipe organ.

“It’s going to rain tomorrow,” warned my uncle. So on we went to our next point of interest, enjoying the scenery and beautiful weather along the way.

The flower market was a fragrant and colorful place to visit.

Next was a brief visit to the Centre Georges Pompidou where we walked through the little shop inside (which didn’t allow photography) and made note of grocery bags and backpacks made from Vietnamese rice bags selling for 50€ or more. They look a bit like these. Aparently, some of them originated in the US.

As we inched our way up the Champs-Élysées, the clouds began to gather. I’m not sure what event was going on here at the Arc de Triomphe, but we enjoyed this close-up view from the car.

By the time we got to the Louvre, my mom and cousin were exhausted. They rested and watched the tourists while I walked down to the lower lobby and looked around, picking up a guide to the Louvre’s floor plan so we could plan our visit at a later date. There’s something about the scale of the buildings and structures that strikes me each time I look at these photos.

After munching on our dinner of jambon et fromage paninis and taking photos of the Eiffel Tower, we headed across the Seine to see the Tower up close and to wait for its lights to turn on. Afterwards, we trudged back to find the car and take one more look at the beautiful Tower.

More to come…
spring in Paris, part 1, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7

~ by nikkipolani on May 13, 2008.