This time last year Dr Smith and I went to Rome for my birthday. This year, we went to Paris. I like this trend!

drhaggis and veritate accompanied us to the City of Lights for a one week stay. We rented an apartment in the the Marais/Beauborg district that was utterly fantastic. Central location, very large (2 floors!) and had a rooftop terrace with a stunning 360 degree view that was jaw-dropping. Arriving on the first day, climbing to the terrace to be greeted by the bells of Notre Dame, was a memorable moment. I hugged veritate with glee!

In this post I'll just include some of my favorite city scenes from the week. You'll notice this one doesn't have pictures of us in it, that's so I'll be able to have this post public. I'll post a couple other sets later with more personal photos that I'll friends-lock.


Notre Dame. It was spring in Paris. Not like here at home - where it has snowed almost a foot today!!! Grrrr!!!



I don't know where or what this is. But really, the thing that makes places like Paris great is that there are beautiful structures like this everywhere, nothing really notable, but the history runs so deep that every street and corner has something special about it.


Pourquoi? An automated clock from the 1970s hangs out in a residential square.


I can't get enough of vaulted ceilings.


All for One and One for All!


One heckuva cool place for a Detective's office. *j'adore*


Luxembourg gardens. I found Paris to be full of families and children, at all hours in all range of places. Luxembourg gardens seems like a fantastic place for kids. This is their carousel (there are carousels set in in many squares, rather unexpectedly) and they actually have brass rings! The riders are given wands/lances and they angle for a brass ring on a device held by the supervisor. This little girl had great form - she was like a little knight - and caught a ring nearly every turn.


Looking down from the Eiffel Tower top. We were up there at sunset, so we have both daytime and nighttime pictures :-). I am seriously nervous with heights, especially if people dangle cameras or anything loose over the edge. I clutched Dr. Smith and trembled a lot, but I still, you know, liked it.


Walking through the Latin Quarter we came upon a student protest. How apropos!


Most of the stores on Pigalle are simply named "SEX SHOP". This one was a bit more geeky :-)


One of the stray kitties we saw, this one being all atmospheric in the Montmartre cemetery.


Montmartre is so interesting - charming, old European and loveable one moment, tourist-hell the next, semi-scummy and somewhat disappointing the next all depending on the street you're on. Here is Sacre Coeur Basilica and the attendant carousel (this is the carousel seen in Amelie).