La Fin!

The final posting from my trip to Paris last summer. It took a while to go through all of the photos, but it was nice to re-live the experience. Hope you enjoyed the photos! (next photos will be from trip to Nicaragua)

Vive la République!

One of the best ways to get a quick tour of Paris... and to see all the beautiful bridges, is on the back of a Batobus. The Batobus takes you to the heart of Paris, with stops at all of the main tourist sites (including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre). With 8 stops on the route, you see a different view of Paris and lets you travel around the city the way Parisians originally did. This shot was taking right after we passed the Pont Alexandre III bridge. The French flag was blowing in the warm summer breeze. 

"Our Lady" of Paris

One of the most notable monuments in Paris is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame is a French title for the "Blessed Virgin Mary" (hence the reason for so many Notre Dame Cathedrals scattered throughout the world). This Catholic treasure is over 800 years old and is located on a small island called Île de la Cité (in the middle of the river Seine). The building of the cathedral took almost 200 years. It started in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII and was completed in 1345.

As is the case with most notable historical monuments, The Notre dame Cathedral Paris has had its share of glorious and tragic historical moments. Among them is the crowning of Henry VI of England right inside the cathedral in 1431. The Cathedral was at one time in a stage of total disrepair and close to the point of being demolished, but was later saved by Napoleon who himself was crowned Emperor in 1804 inside the Cathedral. After restoring the Cathedral back to its formal beauty and in the midst of World War II, it was rumored that the German soldiers might destroy the newly installed stained glass. It was therefore removed and only reinstalled again after the war ended. The steps were taken because of a archeological glass window called "Rose Window" which was the biggest glass window in the world produced in the 13th century. Joan of Arc was also beatified in the Notre Dame cathedral in 1909.

A notable artifact is the famous bell that has been redesigned to ring automatically. Any visitor to the bell tower should be prepared to climb the 140 steps staircase to see the historical bell and have a glimpse of the city of Paris. Inside the Notre Dame Cathedral, the 17th century organ, with all of its original parts, is still functional. There are also drawings, plans and engravings which showed the old and hidden mysteries of several of the church developments and how the city of Paris came into being.

"To Err is Human... To Loaf is Parisian"

Sometimes the best thing to do on a summer afternoon is nothing... these are a few photos I took while "loafing" around in Paris.

Rivers and Cities

Some of the most stunning architecture in Chicago is located along the river (excluding the Trump Tower which I do not like). Marina City is probably my favorite. I recommend going for a walk along the Chicago River (or boat cruise) if you have some free time in the city.

Cutting Open a City

One of the things that amazes me about Chicago is all the different levels of the city. There is a whole underground section that you don't normally think of (out off sight, out of mind)... however, the locals utilize the underground areas to avoid traffic (Lower Wacker Drive is a modern architecture marvel in my opinion) and stay out of the elements.

In this particular photo (taken along the Chicago River), it looks as if someone has cut a line through the center of the city and opened it up. You can see 4 different levels. 

Retro Black & White

The Atlantic recently did a 20 part retrospective called World War II in Photos. If you haven't seen it already, I highly recommend taking the time to view it. They have some incredibly powerful photos. Anyways, I wanted to try and re-create the look of some of those images... and these are a few of my attempts. I think the black and white effect along with a high contrast makes for more dramatic images.

A Summer Afternoon in October

Columbus Day might have been the nicest day of the entire year. Maybe it just felt that way because I know winter is approaching and we might not have another day like this until next year... or it might be because we just had 40 degree weather a few days ago (and I needed heat in my apartment). Regardless, it was beautiful. I went for a little walk around Cambridge. Here are a couple images of people enjoying the sun.

View From the Skies

Looking down on the Everglades from the comfort of seat 6A on American Airlines. I was on en route to MIA (from SAL). I didn't realize how large the Everglades actually were.

A Simple Tree Along the River

I took this shot right as the sun was about to go down... did a relatively long exposure. There was a big light shining up at the tree which gave it an illuminated effect. This allowed you to see some of the details on the branches even though the sun was below the horizon. I really liked the combination of colors that were created.

Quebec City - Historical Stuff (statues, monuments, churches, & goats)

One of the outer walls of the Citadelle of Quebec. Quebec City was the site of many battles between the French, British, and Americans. The Citadelle of Quebec was built by the British as protection against the Americans (and it worked). Quebec City was in a strategic position on the St. Lawrence River and whoever owned Quebec City owned the trade moving up and down the river. 

The official mascot of the 22 Regiment (The Van Doos). The goat is a decedent from the one presented by Queen Elizabeth II as a sign of toughness and courage.

The Plains of Abraham... famous for the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (Battle of Quebec). The battle was the culmination of a 3 month siege by the British. It only lasted 15 minutes and was won by the British. This marked the end of France's occupation of Quebec City (which later influenced the creation of Canada).

One of the cannons guarding the city of Quebec City (was never actually used in battle).

The slits in the walls were used by fighters to easily gun down enemy combatants. 

The Mighty Montmorency Falls

The mighty Montmorency Falls in Quebec... just outside of the city center. This waterfall is actually higher than Niagra Falls. Canada certainly has some impressive waterfalls!

Going down?

Long staircase to get to the top.

Hello Quebec City!

Looking up at Le Chateau Frontenac from the banks of the St Lawrence River... last light of the day. I have to admit that Quebec City is very beautiful (closest you can get to Europe while remaining on North American soil).