Nice, France

I ended the trip with some much needed time on the beach.  🙂        

Cafe de Flore

My last day in Paris, I went to Cafe de Flore to channel Sartre, soak in the atmosphere, and write in my journal.  I was especially excited when I ended up sitting next to a certain well-known New Yorker staff writer!

Paris at Night

notre dame, from the seine along the seine karen, photographer (and sometimes shopper) big head     rainstorm in paris     rainstorm in paris     rainstorm in paris     rainstorm in paris   dancing along the seine

The Louvre at Night

I wasn’t originally going to take night photos of the Louvre.  But walking through on the way to the Metro, the “golden hour” lighting was too good to pass up.  I ended up staying for dinner, and more photography of the Louvre Pyramid.                   

“Mona Lisa”

I was mixed on whether to hunt down the “Mona Lisa” inside of Louvre – I had heard the crowds take all the joy out of it  But once inside the museum, it’s kinda hard to resist such a famous painting. Especially with all the "This Way to the Mona Lisa" signs.     The Louvre allows people to take pictures inside. Which I love. But it definitely seemed like most folks were just PhotoOp-ing, and not really looking at it.     Anyways, I really liked the “Mona Lisa”. Photos of it don’t do it justice. Some paintings just …

Bastille Day Fireworks at the Eiffel Tower

I arrived in Paris on Bastille Day.  Unfortunately, it meant that I missed the morning parade (and the Balls the night before). But I did get to see the Champ de Mars fireworks!         (click to see large size)

London, Paris, Nice

Tomorrow, I take off for Europe!   The first weekend, I’ll be in London visiting friends.  During the week, the plan is to train down to Paris and then meet up with a friend in Nice.   I’ve never been to France before, and am REALLY looking forward to it.  Plus, my friend got tickets for “Waiting for Godot” with  Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in London.   I can’t wait. Fast Facts London 1 pound = 1.6465 USD Low 80F, Sunny Noon in Seattle =  7pm (UTC + 1) Paris 1 Euro = 1.4022 USD Mid 80F, Sunny Noon in …