And Yes, Paris Has Cats Too....

I am still culling thru all the photos I took while in Paris. Every trip I have been on in the past 2-3 years I have brought my laptop along and downloaded my images each day. This time the laptop never came out of it's case. It's not that I didn't want to see the pics, I was just so tired by the time I would return to the hotel that all I could do was take a shower and go to bed. And speaking of the hotel, I never took one shot of where we stayed. Believe it or not, one of my Arizona girlfriends recently took a wonderful trip to London and Paris and I stayed at the same hotel as she had earlier. She took lots of shots of the hotel, none for me. It was quite lovely. Very nice and super spacious as compared to other accommodations I hear. It is a toss-up whether I liked the shower or the buffet breakfast served every morning the best. And what a breakfast....all I am going to say is chocolate croissants every single day I was there.  And it was right in the center of Paris...about 3 blocks give or take from Notre Dame.

I added a texture to this iconic symbol of Paris

The first day we arrived we met up with our travel guide who was Italian but spoke fluent French, thank God.  She had arranged every detail of our trip....dinners at a different restaurant each night, Metro tickets, tickets to the Eiffel Tower, tickets to the Opera House, tickets to Disneyland France, tours of Notre Dame and the Louvre. She was amazing and a total delight. The morning we arrived in Paris at 6:15 AM Paris time our guide had scheduled a large and comfortable bus to pick us and all of our luggage up at the airport to take us on a 3 hour bus tour of the city, catching the highlights of the week to come. Although a bit sleep deprived (not a wink) we were all so eager to see the sights and experience the beauty of Paris no one was complaining. It was early Sunday morning so not alot of traffic or people, a perfect time to stroll the streets.  No strolling, just rolling. We did stop at the Eiffel Tower and a couple of other places but many of my shots were from the window of the bus. I was pleasantly surprised to have captured some great shots from that bus window.

Seen from a bus window.....

Shiny, shiny gold seems to be rather popular in Paris architecture...especially on the Paris Opera House, perhaps one of the most famous opera houses in Europe. They continue to have productions in this lavish hall, but it's most famous for the book written in 1910 "Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Laroux followed by the musical, "Phantom of the Opera" by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1986

And then I continue my fascination with lamp posts.....

Even early on a Sunday morning, a crowd was already gathered at the Louvre.

And just how many shots am I going to take of the Eiffel Tower??.....as many as I want to.  Among all of the beauty and sites that I was so blessed to see, I truly think that the first sighting of the Eiffel Tower had to be my most heart fluttering moment.  It is just so iconic and to see it up close and personal was spectacular.

And here is one more of the family standing in front or back or side, of it.  Really not sure what is considered the front, side or back.  She is terrific at any angle.

And yes, Paris has cats too.  We could usually spot them around the bistros, hoping for a hand-out from a patron.  Not a bad gig....

OK, 2nd installment of the many, many images still yet to come.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”  ~  Augustine of Hippo

Until next time.....