Friday, July 25, 2008

Paris street scenes

No matter how many times you see this it is still hard to believe the traffic in downtown Paris. It is not a driving experience for the nervous. Note the blue van to the right that decided he wanted to go in the other direction. When you reach the Arch de Triomphe there are 12 streets that converge at this point and there are no lights and no lane markers. We saw a woman in a smart car in the middle of the loop with her car stopped and her engine off. Apparently she was experiencing a "melt down" in the middle of traffic. No one seemed to notice; they just swerved around her and kept going. One other interesting maneuver is the tour busses circle twice, then cut a diagonal acxross the circle.
We searched everywhere for Quasimodo when we reached Notre Dame but he was nowhere to be seen. The catherdal is massive and the detailed gargoyles and statuary quite impressive. In fact, we felt the exterior quite overshadowed the interior. I guess that's just a matter of personal preference.
The plantings, decorative streetlamps and open air cafes and restuarants all add to the charm amidst the bustle of downtown Paris. We were treated to a marvelous lunch complete with plenty of wine to enhance the atmosphere.
And, of course, what trip to Paris would be complete without a stop at the Eiffel Tower. Here the shot is taken looking down the Seine.



Posted by Picasa

No comments: