Locomotion

To me, the Seine is where the heart of Paris exists. Once we properly oriented ourselves from Le Marais in relation to the rest of Paris, we encountered the Seine each day - whether we crossed it or we walked alongside of it. The Seine is most inviting at dusk, when everyone is winding down and settling in for an evening along the river.

Here, you can get a glimpse of the scene, Notre Dame looming to the right and a group of folks seated to the left along the broad promenade. This picture is taken from the Latin Quarter, opposite to Le Marais. We sat here on our last night, contemplating life, culture and our history. More often though, we sat on the Il St. Louis side. The Notre Dame Cathedral is located on Il de la Cite. These two islands are connected to the hub of Paris by the Seine and the ponts (bridges). The islands are unique to the city but certainly part of it. I couldn't get enough of the Seine at dusk and night since we were equipped with baguettes, cheese, and wine (for me, Badoit - a sparkly mineral water). At times, A would make a glaces run for us both. Many chats about our life changes occured along these banks. You can't beat it, especially when Quasimodo is peering down on it all from the bell tower.

More of the grandeur of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Being near ND was a highlight for me. I read The Hunchback of Notre Dame in grade 7 or 8 and often imagined it. To see it and hear the bells ringing was marvelous. Each side of ND is distinct from the other - I wonder if that's because of the length of time it took to build.

Here we are at the Centre Pompidou - the Museum of Modern Art. I like this pic and the piece too - the premise of it was a hitman fleeing the scene of the crime. The 'Pompidou', which I really like saying out loud and often, is a strange piece of architecture since all the insides of it - such as heating ducts and stairs and stuff are on the outside of it so as to apparently maximize the space on the inside of the building. Not sure I buy it. We had fun there, especially when we 'had to' say Pompidou.

And, here's our entry point to Montmartre and you'll notice - to Moulin Rouge. It was skanked out, meaning commercialized, and by far less enticing than I had imagined. That said Montmartre from this point on was unique and lovely. The twisty-turny cobbled streets and hill-side views were fantastic. Montmartre is as far away from the centre of Paris that we traversed. We had some really good food at an artisanal boulangerie there.

To conclude Paris, I loved the Seine and cafe life more than anything else I've ever encountered. The shoes did not surprise (much to my dismay) and the fashion was not as I had imagined. I approached Paris with arms wide open and I don't think Paris embraced me back. Of course, it is gorgeous and full of romance - an experience that I'll cherish throughout my life. Hey, it's hard not to compare great cities to one another, but I'd rather keep chomping at the Big Apple any day.