Out and About

Lori's best friend Hilda is visiting this week. These two have known each other forever and even have their own language. The only other person who truly understands this is Hilda's husband Wayne. We usually team up, but I'm on my own this week. We're having fun though. Hilda is a professional photographer and we've been touring Paris with our cameras. It's great to have a teacher along with you when you're trying to figure out all the buttons and dials on your new camera.

Now that I know I'm leaving Paris, I'm looking at it differently. Instead of noticing all the things that annoy me, I see the things I'll miss when I'm gone. I don't notice the masses of people everywhere, sidewalks covered in cigarette butts and the incessant car horns, now I see every bakery and cheese shop I pass, incredible architecture and beautiful gardens. Here are a few of the shots I've taken this week.

The underside of the Arc de Triomphe. In the centre square you can see a video camera that shows the tomb of the unknown soldier below.

The smaller Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel in the Jardin des Tuileries with the obelisk and the real Arc in the background.

The Pont des Arts is the main location for "Lovers Locks" in Paris and it's also a bit of a problem these days. The number of locks on the bridge was estimated last summer to be around 700,000. You can imagine how much weight that adds to the bridge.

Panels have collapsed because of the weight. The city then replaces the damaged sections with plexiglass. It doesn't look as nice but you can't attach locks to plexiglass. They have also placed plywood over the other panels to stop people from adding locks. This was a blank canvas to graffiti
artists.

People still find ways to add their locks though.

It's so beautiful that sometimes you forget that the Seine is a working river.

Finally a couple of shots of Notre Dame cathedral.

Lori and Hilda are off to London for a girls weekend on Thursday. Hopefully they will put their wine glasses down long enough to take some pictures.

On a completely unrelated note, we are flying back to Canada next week. There are things we need to do and pick up for our Visas to Papua New Guinea. We are going to be busy for the next 3 months.

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