Another great place to visit in Paris is the Château de Vincennes. We sorta stumbled upon the Château while walking the neighborhood where we were staying. In addition to serving as the royal residence where a couple of Kings were married & several French kings were born, it later served as a state prison for prisoners including the marquis de Sade and others. There is still graffiti left by the prisoners high on several walls. (Since the small windows were placed high on the walls, that was where the best light was.) I also photographed the Royal Chapel at Vincennes. (You can see that image here)

One of the (many) wonderful things about Paris are the little produce markets. You don’t have to walk very far to find a place like this where you can walk in and almost experience a sort of sensory overload. I love the sights, the smells, the colors. (You probably noticed I like chroma…) And of course, I love the taste!

A light rain was starting to fall in Paris as we were hurrying to the Lourve for a private tour. (That’s another amazing story, and it was no doubt the highlight of our visit to Paris.) As we were crossing the river, a wonderful orange glow was settling behind the Eiffel Tower and Paris’ oldest bridge ‘The Pont Neuf’ or “new bridge” (built 1578-1607). My companions were quite patient while I set up my camera for a few shots before continuing on. You can see where there was a bit of rain on the lens, however, I’m still glad we paused for a few moments to try and capture the beautiful scene above the Seine.

On the Left Bank in Paris, just across from the Notre-Dame, lives a bookstore and an institution. Shakespeare and Company is an amazing place with an amazing past. You can quite literally read its history in the many nooks and cranny’s filled with literary soul. It is well worth reading the Wiki entry and visiting the website. Then, go to Paris and experience Shakespeare and Company for yourself.

A couple of blocks from the apartment where we are staying in Paris stands the Château de Vincennes including the Sainte Chapelle. It’s great being in Paris in the ‘off season’ because you have the opportunity to go to touristy places while the tourist are away. This afternoon we were in this magnificent space alone. For over 550 years people have been entering this space and awed by it’s beauty. I am probably one of the odd few that took the opportunity to lay down on the stone floor and look straight up at the heavenly view. I’m sure some would frown upon such behavior… They would be the ones missing the beauty. Occasionally you must be a bit odd to truly see a different, perhaps better, perspective.