Paris part 1

Greetings everyone.

Sorry for the delay in posting but Christy and I spent last week (my spring break) in Paris!

I will do several postings this week as Paris is a great city and we took a ton of photos. I may do a day at a time, we will see.

My friend from Graduate School (KU, sorry NDSU fans, KU is going to roll over you) Matt Waldschlagel is now the director for KU's Humanities and Western Civilization program abroad. He invited Christy, Cindy and me to spend the week in Paris.

First, some shots from the apartment in Paris.

Here is a shot of the main room where we all hung out, ate supper, drank wine and visited. Note that there are two copies of the Rick Steves book in the shot.

Here is a shot of the view from the sliding glass windows and balcony.

Their kitchen.

Christy and Cindy stayed in a hotel less than two blocks away from the apartment. It was nice and very much an urban European hotel that was tight on space but clean and in a great location.

Below, the beds.

We started the first day at a great Cafe by our Metro stop, Parmentier.

Our Metro stop was very Art Deco.
Here I am in front of the Cafe by the Hotel.

Below is a great shot of the Paris Metro in action. It is a very efficient way to move around the city.

We rode the Metro to Notre Dame Cathedral. It is much more impressive than photos can show.

Below, Christy leading our guide Matt (A.K.A. Bob Steves) through the crowd at Notre Dame.

Me at the very center of Paris.
A detail shot of a gargoyle. The cathedral is covered with a great variety of gargoyles.

The interior of Notre Dame.Below, an alcove dedicated to Thomas Aquinas.Detail shot of the stained glass inside the Cathedral.Cindy pointing out some important facts to Bob. She read them in Bob's bothers excellent tour book on Paris.
The back side of the Cathedral is as interesting as the front, note the flying buttress architecture.



Another shot from the back.

Bob Steves and his client Cindy.

After Notre Dame we stopped for a view of the river Seine.


On to the Pantheon. Another very impressive building in terms of both its history and architecture.

Inside the Pantheon. The pendulum by Foucault (not Michelle) that demonstrates the earth's rotation. The pendulum with the large brass ball attached appears to swing across the table and gauge below. In fact, the pendulum is standing perfectly still and the earth is moving.

Across the street I found evidence of the home team in the very Catholic city of Paris. Below is a shot of the wall on the public library. Center column third name from the top, last column on the right, top name.


Below, on the street leading to the Pantheon.



One of the many streets named after a famous French philosopher.


One of the many impressive Churches in Paris.