Eiffel Tower Andrew and Jasmijn
Notre Dame priestly procession
Louvre religious painting
Jasmijn and the Mona Lisa
Louvre roman galleon prow
Jasmijn in the Louvre statue hall
Louvre myhtical creatures statue
Andrew with a Louvre statue
Andrew's two-headed Zaphod Beeblebrox immitation
Louvre castle foundations
Jasmijn in a flower market
There were two levels below the top. We queued for an hour to get to the second level, and just as we arrived the lifts to the top opened. We were incredibly lucky ... hundreds didn't make it to the top.
There are annual races up and down the stairs (and escalators for the less fit such as ... well ... yours truly ...)
The top platform was surprisingly small. It housed less than 100 people, while seemingly thousands queued beneath.
You can see heaps of Paris from the Tower ...
Courtesy of the zoom lens. On this rushed trip, this was the closest we got.
Grand architecture lines the streets of Paris, and amazing monuments to French imperialism crop up all over the place (as in London, Brussels, Washington DC, etc etc ...).
Note how well laid out the streets are. And the consitent height of the buildings.
The seat of French government used to be housed on this superbly defensible island in the middle of the Seine, before it was moved to a palace on the opposite shore around the time of the Renaissance (or a bit earlier?).
The apartments lining the streets were all built prior to the invention of elevators and are limited to about 6 stories.
One of a few churches on the Île de la Cité.
The gargoyles of Notre Dame are very cool. And this is one of the best steepled churces in the world. Imagine how many starving peasants could have been fed using the money when it was built ... Jesus Christ would have turned in his well, not, grave.
Probably the world's greatest art museum is housed in a former palace, and beneath it's grounds. The main entrance is beneath the glass pyramid. It's a MUST visit if you're ever in Paris.
Good girl Jasmijn, visiting I see ...
Even the hallways are impressive.
Amazingly, photos are allowed in The Louvre, although it takes a while to fight your way in front of the Mona Lisa. Personally, I'd rather just photograph Jasmijn :)
This solid stone statue must surely have been a replica of a roman galleon prow, unless the real prows were made of stone for ramming ships ...?!!
If you don't know what that means, go read 'Hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy'!
Far too sensible to be Zaphod Beeblebrox!
The French seem to be a fair bit more artistic than the norm ... this guy's attempt to earn money involved a bird cage, a nose cone and enthusiastic whistling. Still, it's a damn sight more humane than the entertainment those sick so-called bird 'lovers' get from confining birds in cages for life. Why don't they just stick their heads in cages and whistle at each other? They'd need as many brains as this guy, which they clearly lack.
This enterprising lad whipped up a curtain between 2 poles, turned on his rap box, and inflicted his puppet theatre upon us for a minute or two between stops. He then passed a hat around and disappeared with his earning at the next stop. It was all over in less than 3 minutes.
This guy makes his living on a bridge over the Seine opposite the Notre Dame, doing highly acrobatic things on blade-skates. He doesn't have to ask for money; admiring tourists such as your truly just spontaneously cough it up.
Sometimes he did actually clear this tape.
High on a hill, this cathedral enjoys views over much of Paris.
Sorry about that dude blocking the view ...
