More Montmartre

After Notre Dame Chris and I strolled through a neighborhood called Montmartre. With its steep hills, winding staircase streets, windmills and romantic cafes, I was truly taken with this area. At the top of Montmartre is Sacre Coeur, or the Sacred Heart, a beautiful white wedding cake-like church with quite a view of Paris. At the bottom of the hill is the Red Light District, with none other than the Moulin Rouge .

la joie de vivre

Woman in Paris

This woman was begging outside Notre Dame. I dropped some money into her can and asked if I could take her photograph. She nodded and looked right into the camera.

Cathedrale de Notre Dame

Our second day in Paris began with Notre Dame. Founded in 1160, this ancient cathedral is breath-taking. It is difficult to capture the scope and detail on camera, but I still managed to take many pictures :)

Paris-Day 1

The first thing Chris and I did in Paris was visit Place de la Concorde, the city's largest square, for instant Paris gratification. From this area, you can see the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees leading to the Arc de Triomphe, and the Tuileries Gardens, which lead to the Louvre. There are two beautiful fountains in this square (top photo) and an Egyptian Obelisk. We strolled through the Tuileries Gardens all the way to the Louvre entrance. The manicured grounds were filled with statues, fountains, cafes, and sunbathing/napping Parisians (second photo).

Houses of Parliment in Black and White

I've walked through this area of London several times now, and I'm always affected by the age of this gothic building. Our first day of London consisted of wandering Lambeth (below) and of course, taking Chris to see Big Ben. In route to the Tower Bridge our feet grew tired and decided a lunch of fish and chips at a pub on the river was best. Our stay in London was a brief two days, and the third morning we took the Eurostar through the Chunnel into Paris.

Bits of London

Walking around Lambeth, street musicians in a pedestrian walk, yellow doors to a flat, Big Ben.