My 22nd in Paris

Paris is magical. Even after all those stories that make your expectations sky rocket, and despite all the horror stories of Paris being filthy dirty, it remains magical. It's a gorgeous place, impeccable design and aesthetics almost everywhere. It has all been thought out.

Inside Lafayette Galleries.

Intersection with Lafeyette Galleries and Opera House.

More street corner shots.

No one ever said my panoramic addiction was cured, right? Good. Lots more to come

It was really an amazing experience to spend my birthday in Paris. When I first arrived, I was completely hit with a "oh my gosh I'm in France" feeling. Large snowflakes were floating down from the sky, the bustling city was rushing about around me, and I just felt this sense of awe. Buildings are all really low, so it felt really open and spacious, I didn't feel closed in at all. Though I should probably tell you that Maastricht doesn't have high buildings either...

Arc du Triomphe at night, the snow must've cut the number of tourists by 5.

Edit: Photos now sorted. This post ended up being a bit of a photo dump?

Île Saint-Louis at night from Pont des Arts.

Jardin Tuileries, looking out to the Concorde and a small fair.

Inside Musée du Louvre, it's huge... so spacious!

Louvre Pyramid, quite grand, this view is.

More of Le Louvre, different area of it...

Musée d'Orsay from Pont du Carroussel.

Underneath the shining Eiffel Tower!

Does it stick out like a sore thumb? But I was captivated after seeing it in person.

My lens fogged up inside the restaurant to produce this effect...

The Concorde. It's so... open.

I felt this bubble rising inside me when I looked out at The Concorde, like how I felt at Hero Square in Budapest. A single obelisk stood in the middle of it, a gift from Egypt. Two smaller but highly elaborate fountains stood on either side. A small Ferris Wheel to the left, and a wide open road to the right... I can hardly describe my feeling when I saw it. Perhaps I was a little touched, a little amazed, a little awestruck.

More fogged lens shots... It was such a cute café, sold organic foods.

Paris Gare du Nord: simple, functional, and aesthetically pleasing.

More of Gare du Nord.

Paris foodstuffs to come in next post... in the form of another photo dump. Until next post =)

By fishii with 1 comment